Safety Department Statement on Handgun Permit Database
Thursday, February 12, 2009 | 03:26am
NASHVILLE --- Public complaints have recently been directed to the Department of Safety over the release of personal information from a searchable database of handgun permit holders on the Memphis Commercial Appeal website http://www.commercialappeal.com/data/. The searchable database can be found on the newspaper’s Data Center webpage and offers users to “find out who in your community is licensed to carry a weapon”.
The Department of Safety appreciates the privacy concerns of Tennessee’s handgun permit holders; however, Tennessee Code 10-7-503 provides that all state records are open to inspection to any Tennessee citizen and the agency in charge of the records cannot deny access to them unless otherwise provided by state law. Currently, there is no state law which prohibits the disclosure of handgun permit records. Therefore, if a newspaper or other person makes a public records act request, the Department provides the following handgun permit information:
Full Name
DOB
Address
Zip Code
County
Issue Date
Expiration Date
While the Department of Safety Office of Public Affairs complies with state law by providing the handgun information from the handgun database upon request, we do not control whether media outlets such as the Commercial Appeal decide to publish the database on their public websites.
In 2007, the Nashville Tennessean published the handgun permit database on its website before shutting the information down within hours of making it public.
The Tennessee Department of Safety’s mission is (www.tennessee.gov/safety) to ensure the safety and general welfare of the public. The department encompasses the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Office of Homeland Security and Driver License Services. General areas of responsibility include law enforcement, safety education, motorist services and terrorism prevention.