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Arkansas Editor Posts List Of Concealed Carry Permit Holders Online

” On Feb. 19, the Arkansas state legislature passed legislation protecting the names of concealed carry permit holders from being released under state Freedom of Information Act requests. On Feb. 22, Arkansas Lt. Gov. Mark Darr signed the bill into law.

In the time between the passage of the legislation and its being signed into law, Arkansas Business editor Gwen Moritz took advantage of her one last chance to post the names of concealed permit holders for all to see.”

Here she is in her own words : 

” I can’t adequately express without wildly waving hand gestures how disappointed I am that the Arkansas General Assembly, in some kind of brain-paralyzing panic, has decided to amend the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act so that the public cannot know who is licensed to carry a concealed weapon.

As this publication pointed out in an editorial a couple of weeks back, knowing who is licensed is the only way to determine who is not licensed. Your crazy uncle shows up at a family reunion packing heat — is he really licensed? A neighbor has taken to walking the sidewalks with a sidearm — is he licensed? Your church decides to allow firearms on the premises — as should be the right of a private, voluntary organization — but is that guy in the next pew really licensed to carry?

According to our legislature, you don’t even have the right to wonder.”

And here is some of what the readers have to say :

• ” You have the list and are not afraid to “use it.” Usually, the reason someone publishes a name and personal information is for malicious intent. You have “used it” and hit your targets just as effectively as Adam Lanza did in Newtown.

  Any professional journalist would know that concealed carry permit holders have undergone background checks, training, and fingerprinting. They were all examined thoroughly before they were granted a license. There is probably not a more law-abiding list of people anywhere. Let me instruct you. Your crazy uncle is not on this list.

  You do not know the people on this list and they have never done you or anyone else any harm. They are as innocent as a third grader in Newtown. You have invaded their privacy by committing a crime that is illegal.

  A name and zip code, with an internet connection, is just a few clicks away from the exact street address which you said you won’t even publish for people who sell a home.”

  Arkansas Business is usually professional and not a source of paranoid media. I hope it will
  get back to the business of delivering constructive content.”

• ” I hope she is fired and prosecuted.”
• “Very well said. Too bad the editor’s thought process is not so clear. She should be removed from her position for such irresponsibility. The good news is, Mike Darr just signed into law Act 145 which protects concealed carry permit holders from such violations of privacy.”

• ” Gwen, I will never read your publication again. I am a small business owner in Arkansas and I will not patronize any of the advertisers in your magazine until you resign and the magazine issues a formal apology.”

• ” Gwen I believe your view is tainted by your occupation. You are in the business of selling information so of course you want everything possible to be made public for ease of access. The only group that needs access to this information, the police, will still have access. It is no ones business whether or not I have a permit to carry a weapon in Arkansas. It is a 2nd amendment issue. Nowhere in the constitution do I see a requirement to disclose my name and zip code in order to exercise my rights.”

• ” Gwen, your stupidity astounds me. You just single handily destroyed Arkansas Business. No more readers – no more advertisers – no more paper. You tried to rub our nose in your liberal leaning views without concern for any of the citizens you offended. You got your agenda in print but we win in the end. As one of your now FORMER advertisers and a now FORMER subscriber I want to assure you that I will do everything I can to make my views of what you have done to the lawful gun owners of this state known to as many people as possible. All the lawsuits you will see will not matter because this paper will not have the money to even answer the complaints.”

• “It doesn’t matter how or when you got the list. If it is illegal to post it, then it is illegal to post it. Saying you got the list prior to it being illegal is like saying you bought your car prior to speed limits and can therefore drive as fast as you want.

  You are an idiot.
  Enjoy your class action lawsuit.”

• ” Call the Arkansas Attorney General, Dustin McDaniel now (Phone:(501) 682-2007) as this law (SB131) went into effect the minute Acting Gov Darr signed it on Friday to prevent it from being published. Arkansas Business and Gwen Moritz just broke the law and a big law and I hope that everyone on this list sues the pants off of them.”

  ” Hey Gwen, ever consider those women who have abusive Ex’s may not want those animals to know that they refuse to be victims anymore? I have read numerous comments from women who were abused and don’t want these cretins to know that they now carry a concealed weapon (or their zip code).

  And its not just women who don’t want others to know that are proficient with
  firearms and could be carrying.

  Simply take a phone book and your list and one can easily determine which houses criminals should target if they want to steal guns. Grade school kids can easily figure this out so criminals should be able as well.

  I communicated with several of our state representative regarding these very issues when Max Brantley pulled his little “right to know” act several years ago.

  If the citizens who chose to understand and embrace their 2nd Amendment
  rights can pass an FBI background check and proficiently handle a weapon, why
  is it the business of the busy bodies of America? These are the better citizens of our Republic who have committed no criminal offenses and should not be treated as such. 1 of the almost 130,000 on that list may even save your bacon one day.

  Concealed carry means the weapon is concealed. If your “crazy Uncle” is publicly displaying his firearm, he is in violation of the law.

  I suggest you do your due diligence and brush up on your research before letting
  your paradigms get in the way.

  And since you seem to oppose firearms, how about we put a sign in your yard stating that fact?

  As you can see from the responses, you should have done your homework before posting your opinion. Your article is yet another example of the yellow journalism that Arkansans have come to
  expect from the birdcage rag commonly known as Arkansas Business.”

  “Go read the law. It only prevents the release of the list. People can still publish lists that they obtained lawfully.”

• ” Congrats, Gwen! You’re a woman of influence! I’m sure the good people of Arkansas already feel safer now that you’ve so graciously provided them with a list of people who have spent money and time to educate themselves about safely (and legally) owning and operating a firearm. As you’ve pointed out, each of them are almost surely crazy,deserve no respect and have no rights so holy as “your right to know.” You’ve clearly researched and studied this issue, and the behavior of CCL holders, and have surmised that all CCL holders are reckless criminals and crazy people who must be on a public list, presumably so that people can scream and run when they see us in public. That is some rock-solid journalism you’ve got going here. Bravo.

  When you’re done patting yourself on the back, you may want to read up on what happened when the state of New York decided to publish a list like the one you’ve posted here (one of the many consequences of their ridiculous gun laws which have hurt law-abiding citizens far more than criminals). But what can you expect from a state whose gun bill was so hastily signed into law, they forgot to include a proviso for their own law enforcement officers? I guess, Like you, they figure a misguided and miscalculated over-reaction makes them seem effective- even with all evidence to the contrary.

  I’m guessing you are blithely ignorant, or just diabolically spiteful. You’d have to be one or the other not to understand what you’ve done.”

• ” Gwen, What people own is nobody’s business. Taking it upon yourself to share information about people that want to have and use their God given Constitutional rights is reprehensible. I hope that your actions are found to be in criminal contempt of the law, I don’t care if you got the list before the law was enacted; you violated the intent of the law. I hope you spend some time in the Tucker unit to learn why people want to keep and use their rights; not as a so-called journalist. The justice system should protect us from people that are a danger to society and you are most certainly at the top of the list. People with protective orders are on that list and have to be afraid because of you. Your implied self-righteousness is disgusting in that you are so full of yourself that you don’t care about hurting other’s and making them targets for thieves and stalkers … Righteous people do not hurt others or make them live in fear. Narcissists do.”

• ” I am one of the names on this list. I also provide home health care services to people in Central Arkansas. I dare say, that if you conducted business in some of the areas I do, you’d have a CCL too. Thank you for providing my information to the world.”

Contact information should you feel the need :

• Contact Us
  Arkansas Business Publishing Group
  122 East Second Street
  Little Rock, Arkansas 72201
• Toll free: (888) 322-6397
• Main line: (501) 372-1443
• Customer Service
  (501) 372-1443 or email

  Update: Here is personal information on one Gwen L Moritz of North Little Rock . We have reason to believe that it is the same Gwen Moritz that is the editor of Arkansas Business but cannot confirm it beyond a shadow of a doubt . Perhaps one of our readers can .

  Please do not descend to the depths that our oh so tolerant friends on the left do . Please make certain that you do not intrude on the rights of an innocent person who just might have the same name . Make certain of the identity of your adversary before engaging in any kind of correspondence . 

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• Gov. Beebe Calls Signing of Bill by Darr ‘Inappropriate’ (arkansasmatters.com)
• Concealed-carry Bill Signed into Law by Acting AR Governor (arkansasmatters.com)
• Concealed carry law signed in Arkansas (upi.com)
• Ark. House approves bill making gun list secret (sfgate.com)