Maine lawmakers have green-lighted a law making confidential most of the information that appears on concealed-handgun permits.
In a 27 to 8 vote, the Senate on Wednesday approved the bill, just a day after the House gave its okay by a vote of 106 to 40.
The bill faces a final vote in the House and Senate before being sent on to Republican Gov. Paul LePage for his signature,
The Bangor Daily News reported.
The measure sparked controversy with opponents saying the public has a right to all documents on file with the government and proponents insisting gun owners have a right to privacy.
The bill was made a priority in the legislature after the Daily News requested access to handgun permit data under Maine’s open-records law.
Earlier this year, the Journal News, a paper in the northern suburbs of New York City, enraged gun owners by creating an online map showing the homes of people with concealed handgun permits.
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