On Wednesday, March 8, the Judiciary Committee will be hearing Legislative Bill 637. Introduced by state Senator Bruce Bostelman (LD 23), LB 637 will protect the privacy of gun owners by requiring that information regarding firearm possession, sale, use, registration, permits, or applications be maintained as confidential and not considered a public record. This will ensure that newspapers and those intent on harassing law-abiding gun owners are not able to obtain and publish this information.
In 2012, a local newspaper in Westchester, New York published information online that consisted of the names and addresses of New York gun permit holders. This information was compiled into an interactive map that would allow anyone who accessed the site to view the location of those who had permits to own a pistol or revolver, and those who had purchased a firearm or updated their permit information in the past five years. Following this publication, a house that was listed on the map was burglarized in an attempt to steal firearms.
LB 637 seeks to keep gun owners safe by preventing the publication, dissemination or release of private information such as what occurred in New York. Please contact members of the Judiciary Committee and politely urge them to protect your private information and to support Legislative Bill 637.