Change sought for concealed weapons permits

A Nevada lawmaker wants to make it harder for the public to determine who is packing heat.

Assemblyman Don Gustavson, R-Sparks, asked the Legislative Counsel Bureau to draft a bill for the 2011 legislative session that would make personal information related to concealed carry permits confidential.

"When a permit holder goes down and gets a concealed weapons permit, they are led to believe any information they gave is confidential," Gustavson said. "If all that info gets out there, people can just find out who has the guns and go to your house and take the guns."

The request stems from a July 1 opinion by the state Supreme Court in a case between the Reno Gazette-Journal and Washoe County Sheriff Mike Haley.

The newspaper sought records related to the concealed carry permit issued to Gov. Jim Gibbons to confirm whether it had been suspended or revoked.

Haley wouldn't release the records, reasoning that since state law maintains information on concealed carry permit applications is private, information on the actual permit and subsequent actions could be considered private as well.

The court ruled certain information on the permits is public record and subject to disclosure, prompting Gustavson to make the bill draft request.

In its unanimous opinion, the court distinguished between information on the permit application, which state law says is confidential, and information on the permit and related actions, such as suspension or revocation.

Because the statute "is silent concerning the confidentiality of post-permit investigation, suspension, or revocation records, we must conclude that such records are open to public inspection unless they contain information that is expressly declared confidential by statute," the opinion stated.

"The intent of the law, I believe, was to keep all that information confidential," said Gustavson, who is running for the seat being vacated by state Sen. Maurice Washington, R-Sparks.

Democratic candidate for governor Rory Reid would support such a bill, spokesman Mike Trask said.

Republican candidate Brian Sandoval didn't take a stance on Gustavson's proposal. Sandoval spokeswoman Mary-Sarah Kinner said he would need to see the entire bill before deciding.