Colorado has a database for their concealed weapons permit holders. This convoluted story describes the not so surprising state of a State run, voluntary (for the sheriffs, not the permit holders) database that lumps those that have undergone training and a background check with criminals.
The surprising part of the story is that over 70% of law enforcement officers in Colorado trust the information in the database and use it to "feel safer" because they "know" if a suspect is armed. Assuming that my entry wasn't screwed up like 63% of them apparently are, when I am pulled over because my taillight is out, the Colorado cop coming to my car window is on high alert because he "knows" that I am armed. How this helps the officer or myself, I am not sure. How it can escalate what would otherwise be a calm situation, I can easily see.
It was also comforting to know that information that was not given in my application has possibly been added to my file. It is sounding more and more like this database needs to be deleted. Time to get to work.
2 years ago
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