State Panel to Consider Possible Lifting of Public Disclosure Exemption for Gun License Applications
While Democrats in the Washington state House are being whipped into a full lather by Gov. Jay Inslee and even national luminaries pushing a gun control agenda to pass a sweeping new requirement for universal background checks for all gun purchases, there’s another relevant issue on the agenda of an unelected committee next week that deserves some mention in the debate.
On Mar. 19, the Sunshine Committee – a 12-member panel within the office of Washington state’s Attorney General – is scheduled to review the current exemption for licenses to carry and conceal pistols.
There is legitimate worry that if the Legislature passes a bill to require universal background checks and the exemption is lifted, the private information of law-abiding gun owners could be easily obtained including addresses, employment history, even medical records that are researched prior to permit issuance.
We inquired by email Monday with the Attorney General’s Office about what prompted placing the concealed pistol permit exemption on next week’s agenda but did not receive a reply.
The Sunshine Committee was formed to review exemptions from the state public disclosure laws and was created by a law proposed to the Legislature by former Attorney General Rob McKenna.
[featured image credit: flickr]
