VA GOP Withdraws Request for CHP Holder Information

The Richmond Times Dispatch reports today that the Republican Party of Virginia has withdrawn its request for information for the Commonwealth's estimated 270,000 concealed handgun permit (CHP) holders.  According to the RTD, the GOP sited the estimated cost of $120,000 for the information, based on the initial estimated costs they had received from some of the circuit court clerk offices.  This who had responded to the GOP request estimated that pulling the information requested would cost $1000. 

In his letter today, Reedy said many of the clerks provided cost estimates for retrieving and delivering the requested data, and “unfortunately, the average costs for producing these documents based on the information we’ve received so far would be more than $1,000 per office.”

“At an estimated cost of more than $120,000 for mailing addresses along, this method of communication is simply no longer cost effective,” he wrote. “Instead, we will work with other pro-Second Amendment groups to find ways to reach voters with critical information.”

It was likely as much a face-saving decision as a financial one however.  A number of people have expressed opposition to the request and believe it to be hypocritical given it was a GOP Senator, Mark Obenshain, who was responsible for making sure the information would become private and no longer accessible in individual clerks offices beginning July 1.

NBC12.com - Richmond, VA News

The Virginia GOP repeated that it was only trying to build information for out reach to voters. They will now have to rely on pro-rights groups to reach out to their members the get the information out. It is suggested that the candidates have a presense at every gun show between now and election day to insure gun owners know that all three of the Democrat candidates have made comments supportive of increased gun control.