This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A freshman Republican saw his bill seeking to elevate the penalty for disclosing private data related to an individual's concealed weapons permit pass out of a House committee Tuesday evening.
Rep. Jacob Anderegg, R-Lehi, said the breach of personal information from the state database of concealed weapons permits could lead to "potentially giving a roadmap" to criminals who want to break into people's homes and steal their guns.
Anderegg originally wanted the crime of disclosing that data to be a felony, but the House Judiciary Committee voted 6-1 to lower it to a Class A misdemeanor. Currently, leaking that information is a Class B misdemeanor — just like any other leaking of private information, including a person's medical records.
Rep. Patrice Arent, D-Millcreek, opposed raising the penalty and said she'd rather look at all the crimes related to releasing private data to evaluate which ones were more serious than others. The measure was also opposed by the Utah Sentencing Commission and the Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice but was supported by the conservative Utah Eagle Forum.
The bill now goes to the House.
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