Feb. 7, 2001 - A state legislator who lost a battle last year to keep confidential the names of people holding concealed-weapons permits cleared his first legislative hurdle with a similar bill Tuesday.

The House State Affairs Committee voted 5-3 along party lines, with Democrats dissenting, to send HB 1190 by Rep. Don Lee, R-Littleton, to the floor.

Last year, Gov. Bill Owens vetoed Lee's bill to prohibit any public release of identifying information of concealed-weapons permit holders, saying such releases might be warranted at times.

This year's version would allow such releases only after the agency that keeps the records - a local police or sheriff's department - notifies permit holders of the release and allows them 10 days to ask that their names not be included in the list.

Information that does not identify specific permit holders, such as the total number of permits or the number of men and women holding permits, could be released at any time, Lee said.

"Part of the effectiveness of a concealed-weapons permit is the fact that it is unknown," Lee said. "The whole intent is the criminal not knowing who has a permit."

Supporters said permit holders have the right to keep their identities private. That right should outweigh any public interest in releasing such information, said Jim Winchester of the Colorado State Shooting Association.

Opponents argued against creating what they said would be the only kind of record that would require a waiting period before its release and the only kind of license or permit that is kept confidential.