Montgomery, AL – The Alabama Legislature has decided the identities of people with permits to carry concealed handguns or stow them in their cars should be secret.
The Alabama Senate voted 24-0 Friday to give final approval to a bill pushed by the National Rifle Association. The House passed the bill 102-0 in February. It now goes to the governor.
The bill would seal the handgun permits maintained by county sheriffs and make them available only to law enforcement officers. The public would have access to individual records only if the gun owner had committed a felony.
The bill's sponsor, Democratic Rep. Jack Page of Gadsden, says it's to prevent identity theft. Page says the permits contain enough information for someone to make a fake credit card application.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)