How Many People in Summit County Have a Concealed Carry License?
The answer isn’t easy to find.
Do you know how many of your neighbors have a license to carry a concealed weapon?
No? That’s because Ohio keeps those records private.
The state releases a quarterly report of all the concealed carry licenses issued, renewed and suspended by county, but that’s as far as the breakdown goes. Information by city or zip code is not available.
A representative from the Summit County Sheriff’s Office told Patch via email that the Ohio Revised Code allows journalists to view the list of license holders, but not to copy the information. The code defines the records as confidential. Journalists are the only individuals named in that portion of the law who are allowed to view the records and are defined as those employed by or otherwise connected to a news medium.
Not all states protect their gun permit holders’ privacy so well—a New York-based newspaper, The Journal News, recently sparked a debate when it published a map with the names and addresses of gun owners in nearby counties. The Huffington Post reports that critics said the map could put people with—and without—guns in danger.
Peekskill-Cortlandt Patch reports that a new, bipartisan coalition has formed in opposition to the newspaper’s map, saying it puts residents at risk. One of the examples given was that inmates in local jails now know the addresses of corrections officers.
The numbers in Ohio
According to the report released by the state, there were 354 regular concealed carry licenses issued and 107 renewed in Summit County in the third quarter of 2012. Ten licenses were suspended and 17 were denied.
Overall, there were 13,949 regular licenses issued across Ohio in the third quarter of 2012. Another 3,447 were renewed.
The most recent annual report from the state is for 2011. According to the report, the state had issued about 296,600 regular and temporary concealed carry licenses from April 2004—when the state began allowing concealed weapons—through the end of 2011. The reports do not include the number of total active licenses.
What do you think? Should the state release more information about concealed carry license holders or is privacy critical in this case? Tell us in the comments.
Jon A. Sauerbrey Sr
7:54 am on Thursday, January 10, 2013
No additional information on the CCW licences should not be made public. If it were, it would be a road map for criminals to go to homes where there was not a CCW license in the house.
Scott Gatrell
9:10 am on Thursday, January 10, 2013
Hey media, get your noses out of revealing gun permit info of any kind! How bout we release all personal records including drivers license, medical, criminal, and credit for everyone that works for all media outlets large or small? The fact that something is public record does not justify publishing it for all to see when no crime has been commited. People will be harmed personaly via robbery, identity theft, and a multitude of other manner if the media continues behave this way. What ever happened to real "ethical" journalism? When this question is asked today, many in the media actually brag about their "bias, anything goes if it serves their purpose" attitude as if it is a badge of honor. We "the public", used to hold people like that accountable when they violated our trust. Not so much anymore.....another example of the socialist attack on the fabric of our society.
Summit Co CHL Holder
12:35 pm on Thursday, January 10, 2013
Do you know how many of your neighbors have a license to carry a concealed weapon? No and who cares. The records are kept private for numerous reasons and thankfully so. It's interesting how journalism like this takes the angle that law abiding CHL permit holders in Summit Co. are crimminals.
My question to Rachel Abbey McCafferty is why you want to know who in Summit Co. has a CHL permit? It it your intent to harass and intimidate those that are safe, law abiding citizens? A follow up article on how a permit holder prevented a home invasion, prevented rape, prevented murder, or protected their family would be appreciated.
THOMAS KANE
1:21 pm on Thursday, January 10, 2013
As a ret.police officer.I can tell you those concealed holders are concealed by law for a reason(S).If we lived in a nice soceity where you could leave your doors unlocked we wouldnt need too buy GUNS and have CCWs.NOBODY ever mentions this .These CCWs are not TOO BE MADE PUBLIC!For alot of reasons.Just like previously cited, thugs will probably find the place of least resistance, DUH?The whole reason for the CCW is too protect oneself or the life of another.WHY WOULD YOU JEOPARDIZE THAT?THIS CONCEPT IS INSANE!Not too mention that if you check your privacy laws and civil servants such as police officers and corrections officers they ARE PROTECTED from having personal information made public .Look it up.There are too many possible negative reprocussions for too this info being made public,and I dont see much value in making it public.
Scott Gatrell
2:22 pm on Thursday, January 10, 2013
Ah yes Thomas! You hit the nail right on the head! You see, liberal socialism takes over making us all victims of both neighborhood and government criminals as well. These peoples entire strategy relies on it! This issue is much bigger than the socialists will ever admit. As long as citizens are armed and retain the right of self defense, the socialists can not achieve their final victory. They know this, and our forefathers knew it when they convened the first constitutional convention. I have never believed that such a blatant assault on our rights could have ocured in my lifetime, until I started to see it happening 4 years ago. It's time to tell the socialists that we are going to stop them in their tracks. You can have my gun when you pry it from my cold, dead hands! You can only take away my constitutional freedoms if I let you, and that will never happen!
g-man
12:13 am on Saturday, January 12, 2013
Why are you people worried , you are law abiding citizens ,right. You don't have noting to fear. You would hope some lowlife would dare to come to your house.You would have the right to defend your home. It would only be 1 less lowlife right.
Chris Y
1:46 pm on Monday, March 4, 2013
You couldn't have made a less intelligent comment.