Gaston County asks NC to keep gun data secret

GASTONIA, N.C. (AP) – Gaston County commissioners have unanimously voted to ask North Carolina lawmakers to pass a bill that would keep the names of people who own gun permits from the public.

Commissioner Tracy Philbeck told the Gaston Gazette (http://bit.ly/WXNLPD ) that he doesn’t want media outlets to request the list and publish it like a newspaper in New York did.

Currently, the name, age and home address of anyone who gets a gun permit in North Carolina is public information. Philbeck says 41 states already keep that information private.

Gaston County Sheriff Alan Cloninger says if he was asked for a list of gun permit owners in Gaston County, he would defy North Carolina’s Freedom of Information Act and not release the list.

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Information from: The Gaston Gazette, http://www.gastongazette.com

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