Let me tell you a story, shall I? So, some cub reporter for a paper that no one reads decides he’s going to write a story about people in Indiana that have pink cards, aka carry permits. So he contacts the State 5-Oh and gets a copy of the list, because if you’re an Indiana carry permit holder, your information is a matter of public record.
Then said cub reporter posts that he wants gun owners to contact him to talk about the articles he’s going to write. Then the internet happens. Hilarity ensues, as the 11 page thread on the Hoosier gun forum is a pretty sporty read. Piles and piles of misinformation fly around, no one knows what’s going on, and dogs and cats are lying down together in unholy congress.
But there are some valuable pieces of information for Indiana gun owners, of which I know there quite a few that read us at Gun Nuts. So for the record, yes, while some reporter is probably going to run a hit piece on permit holders that’s not what I want you guys to get out of this post. This is: your information is a matter of public record. If you’ve got a pink card, regardless of whether it’s a lifetime card, a 4 year, or whatever, your personal info is out there and part of the public record.
Don’t bother calling the State Police about it, by the way. It’s not their call – so don’t go blaming them. You want to call someone, write a letter or an email? Contact your State Legislators. If you don’t know who your legislator is, you can use this handy form provided by in.gov.
I read that forum as well and got really sick of reading about the guys who just couldn’t understand that they permit info is public record, hello?! Didn’t we go through this when the Virginia newspaper published the holders’ addresses? I thought this was common knowledge among gunnies.
I happen to live in the community that said newspaper “serves” (gag) and I’ve no doubt that it’ll be a hit piece and anyone who contacts said cub reporter better be prepared to be misquoted and misrepresented.
How about a link to that forum discussion? I’d like to see that. Thanks!
The funny thing is that papers across Indiana routinely run “who has pink cards” articles for decades. It’s a recycled newspaper idea, just like gun rags recycle articles.
Across Indiana, Hoosier gun owners simply shrugged and went to the range. No one cared what the newspapers did.
THEN the Internet happened and so much hell was raised in Virginia that its impact is felt several staes away.
Behold, the Internets!
I wonder if the IN permit application requires you to list your “residence” or just your “address” — if the latter, seems to me a private mailbox is in order.
Interesting, something like this happened a few years ago in Virginia, caused quite the uproar. The newspaper (I think it was the Roanoke Times or something) not only published the list of names, but also addresses with the stated goal of “informing the people who around you own dangerous weapons,” as if concealed carry holders were like sex offenders or something…
It did not go over well, suffice to say.