Revealing the concealed in Tennessee
Who in the Sevier/Blount area is carrying a firearm...And do the neighbors
have a right to know?

RG Williams
The Valley Voice

A man sits at his computer, staring at the screen. He eagerly looks over a
list of his neighbors, looking for one name in particular. In front of him is a
database listing all Tennesseans in his area licensed to carry handguns,
and the man he intends to rob- isn’t on the list.
Confident he won’t be the one looking down the barrel -the thief goes to
commit his offense.
Unlikely you say? Far-fetched? Not so according to opponents of
Tennessee’s Handgun Carry Permit Database which became public last
year on the website of The Commercial Appeal, a Memphis based
newspaper.  The database lists carry permit holders by name, city, or zip
code, and is searchable online at http://www.commercialappeal.
com/data/gunpermits/.
Mr. Chris Peck, Editor of the Appeal, says the paper has done nothing
illegal or unethical.  The decision to put the database online came after
readers inquired as to whether or not a local shooting suspect had a carry
permit. “When that gun comes out in public the citizens of Tennessee have
a right to know, Peck said in an AP article last March. Some in favor of the
database point out that the public should know who is being issued Carry
permits by Tennessee, a state with very inclusive “shall issue” policies,
where those with questionable criminal records have been issued permits.
Peck pointed out that in the Memphis area alone 70 people barred from
carrying permits by both state and federal law were issued permits.
The online listings originally contained birth dates and home addresses.
After realizing the potential for situations like the one presented above, the
Address and Birthdates were removed. Opponents point out that the
addresses of permit holders are easily available by cross-referencing
names in a local phonebook.
One such opponent is Sevierville resident Frank Cox who is a gun owner.
“What about mental health histories, drug and alcohol abuse histories”
asks Cox -referring to The Appeal’s claim that handgun records reveal
potential dangers to the public. “Why are handgun records open, when
records of domestic violence, of CPS (child protective service)
investigations, etc. are not open to the public, but all have far more
valuable information regarding the relative danger of a person to the public
Sevier and Blount counties residents legally licensed to carry a concealed
firearm are also finding it harder to stay concealed. The data base, lists
the names and zipcodes of 1,548 Sevierville residents, 130 in Pigeon
Forge, 143 in Gatlinburg and 129 permits issued to people with a
Townsend address- nearly half of the towns’ population of only 272.
Tennessee is one of 19 states that allow the public to have access to gun
permit information, according to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of
the Press.
At least 21 states keep such information confidential.
The remaining states have no laws or court decisions that address the
matter.
Florida, Ohio and Texas have passed laws in recent years to remove or
restrict concealed-weapon information from the public domain.
According to the website Chatterchattanooga.com, Over 25% of
Tennessee’s Legislators possess a Valid Carry Permit.