Concealed weapons permits: Protect the public’s right to know

Iowans deserve to know what actions government takes on our behalf, affecting our lives and using our money. That's why we have laws requiring transparency and disclosure of public records.

That access is so basic to the notion that it is the public, not government officials, who are the real power behind our institutions, that we should be wary of any effort to keep information secret. With each exemption that allows records to be hidden, we lose a little more power to raise a red flag, cry foul or blow a whistle when something's wrong. What we don't know can hurt us.

That's why we're opposed to a legislative effort chronicled by The Des Moines Register this week to keep the names of Iowans with concealed weapons permits secret. Those names currently are a public record, and have been for years. The bill would shield all personally identifiable information, including names, addresses and date of birth, from the public record. Only overall statistics would be released.

Backers of the measure contend that criminals might use the list of names to pick places to steal guns, or conversely, target homes of individuals not listed among permit holders. They contend it's nobody's business who owns guns.

But this isn't about who owns guns. This is about permits issued by sheriff's offices, a government action that should be subject to public scrutiny. And we're not convinced that anecdotal fears expressed by backers add up to a compelling case for curtailing the public's right to monitor government decision making. If there is broader data or analysis showing that public access to permit information is a public safety problem, backers should show us.

Short of that, we don't see the need to cut yet another loophole in our open records law. The fear that someone might misuse a record shouldn't override the large potential value of public scrutiny. We're also troubled by the fact, reported by the Register, that much of the work on this legislation has taken place behind the scenes. Efforts to curtail transparency often are less than transparent.

We acknowledge the importance of Second Amendment rights, the right in Iowa of law-abiding gun owners to carry weapons, and the desire for privacy. But we don't think the best way to address gun owners' concerns is through sealing public records. Permitting government to operate in the dark should be a last resort.

' Comments: (319) 398-8469; editorial@thegazette.com