VA withdraws gun ownership data from the Web

If Joe citizen has a hankering to see who can carry a registered concealed hand gun in Virginia, he'll be sorry to learn that the state police are withdrawing the database of permit holders for public viewing, reports the Times-Dispatch.

According to an opinion by Attorney General Bob McDonnell, the database was only meant to be used as investigative tool, and therefore is an exception to the state Freedom of Information Act requiring public access to many government documents.

"Anyone that submits a FOIA request for the list of permits issued, we will not be making that available," said state police spokeswoman Corinne Geller.

Gun owners were infuriated when they read that The Roanoke Times obtained the database from state police and published it online.

The gun owners complained that that publication of the database invaded gun owners' privacy. They said it may have exposed the names of crime victims, revealed the addresses of abused spouses and told burglars which homes have weapons.

Legislation to make the database permanently off limits to the public is likely to be introduced next year, making McDonnell's opinion into law.

"Nobody's disputing the information in the courthouses," Nutter said. "But the database, is this an investigative tool or just another government document? I think the opinion will lay down a foundation for discussion."