March 6

Publish names of felons who shouldn't have a gun

Letter to the Editor

George Smith's column in the Feb. 27 edition, suggesting that the Legislature should get rid of concealed weapons permits because they're worthless, is very wrong.

Whenever a law enforcement officer encounters someone with a concealed weapon, a concealed carry permit indicates that at least at the time the permit was issued the permittee had not committed a serious crime, was not known to be mentally defective and that they had familiarity with firearms.

Smith is right that the bad guys won't have a concealed carry permit, only the law-abiding citizens will comply with the law.

Smith offered a scenario in which someone who is exposed to a threat cannot obtain a concealed carry permit for three or four months because of a backlog in applications. Perhaps, when a person needs immediate protection, a police agency could issue a temporary permit.

Revealing the names and addresses of concealed carry permittees would be counterproductive in controlling violent crime. The bad guys would know who to avoid when committing a crime or they would know where they might be able to steal a gun.

Perhaps it would be better to publish names and addresses of convicted felons who cannot have a firearm.

David O. Locke

South Gardiner

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