TX House OKs hiding names of gun permit holders

The Austin (TX) American-Statesman is reporting that the Texas House of Representatives on Thursday overwhelmingly passed legislation that would delete the requirement that the Texas Department of Public Safety must release the identity of a license holder to the public.

The bill's sponsor, State Rep. Suzanna Gratia Hupp, whose family was murdered by a gunman in a Luby's restaurant in Killeen more than a decade ago, said the legislation is necessary to protect the privacy of concealed handgun license holders.

From the story:

She said she's concerned that knowing a license holder's name, date of birth, gender, race and ZIP code is sufficient to locate a person's address. She said a stalker or a burglar could find out whether a potential victim has a gun.

"There's an element of surprise, concealment, that is lost," Hupp said. "When government requests private information, it shouldn't give it out."

The DPS still would provide information on license holders to other criminal justice agencies. Reporters and researchers could continue to collect statistical summaries on the 236,499 Texans who hold licenses.

Will Ohio representatives also follow through on promises to protect the identities of Ohioans, in the wake of severe (and predicted) abuses by Ohio media outlets? To find out, WRITE YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS NOW!

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