NY Newspaper Publishes all Gun Owners' Names and Addresses

[dmcowen674]

Update 1-1-2013


Putnam was one the three Counties The Journal asked for the info. Two of the Counties bent over backwards for the paper and exposed law abiding citizens.

Putnam Officials are to be commended.


1-1-2013

http://news.yahoo.com/york-county-de...231656034.html

New York County denies request for names of gun permit holders



Authorities in a suburban county north of New York City said on Tuesday they will refuse to release names of local gun permit holders to a newspaper that has been publishing the identities of thousands of license-holding residents.


Putnam County Clerk Dennis Sant said he would defy a request for information about pistol permit holders from the White Plains, New York-based Journal News, which has come under criticism for publishing thousands of such identities already.


"There is the rule of law, and there is right and wrong and the Journal News is clearly wrong," Sant said in a statement. "I could not live with myself if one Putnam pistol permit holder was put in harm's way, for the sole purpose of selling newspapers."

The newspaper, owned by the Gannett Co., sought the information under the state's Freedom of Information law. It says the identities are a matter of public record.

Angered, state gun-owner groups have called for an advertising boycott of the newspaper until it takes the map and identities off its website.

The county clerk, Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell and other elected officials were slated to appear on Thursday at a news conference declaring their intentions. Also set to appear is state Sen. Greg Ball, a Patterson, New York, Republican who has said he will introduce legislation to keep permit information private except to prosecutors and police.


Update: 12-27-2012

http://news.yahoo.com/newspaper-published-gun-owner-addresses-gets-staffs-outed-144657471.html

Newspaper That Published Gun-Owner Addresses Gets Its Staff's Info Outed



A blogger named Christopher Fountain took it upon himself to dig up and organize the names, addresses, and phone numbers of the Journal-News staff, starting with editor Cyndee Royle. The post is called "Keep up the heat" and encourages readers to pester the paper and prevent them from continuing to report gun-owner addresses.

There are only eleven addresses, one of which is located in Manhattan.

"Be advised that the Journal News has been in downsizing mode for the past several years. I have to wonder if all these names are current employees but we will treat them as such until we learn otherwise."

In a morning interview with CNN, Fountain said he was angered by calls from victims of domestic abuse with gun permits who were worried their whereabouts had been inadvertently revealed. And, more philosophically:

"In the aftermath of Newtown, it was obviously one tragedy, but somehow they were conflating legal gun owners with some crazed tormented devil up in Newtown and putting the two together."


12-25-2012

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blo...addresses-215214269--abc-news-topstories.html

NY Newspaper Publishes All Gun Owners' Names and Addresses in it's coverage area



A newspaper in New York has received a wave of criticism from its readers after publishing the names and addresses of all of the individuals with handgun or pistol permits in its coverage area.


Hundreds of residents in New York's Westchester and Rockland counties were surprised to find their names and addresses listed on a map posted by The Journal News on Sunday. Users can click any dot on the map to see which of their neighbors has a permit for a gun.

The Journal News said its readers "are understandably interested to know about guns in their neighborhoods," because of the conversation about gun control on its website after the shooting in Newtown, Conn., last week.

"We obtained the names and addresses of Westchester and Rockland residents who are licensed to own handguns through routine Freedom of Information law requests."

The map sparked more than 500 comments from readers within a day of its appearance on the website, many of them voicing outrage at the paper's decision to make the information public.


"This is CRAZY!! why in the world would you post every licensed gun owner information?? What do you hope to accomplish by doing this. This is the type of thing you do for sex offenders not law abiding gun owners. What next? should i hang a flag outside my house that says I own a gun? I am canceling my subscription with your paper today!!!" said commenter Curtis Maenza.


"How about a map of the editorial staff and publishers of Gannett and Journal News with names and addresses of their families…," wrote commenter George Thompson.

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12-26-2012 22,731 comments 2:30 am


12-25-2012 12,680 comments as of 3:30 am



Bob • 9 hrs ago Report Abuse

I would be worried if I was a person in the area WITHOUT owning a gun. Now every criminal who reads that newspaper knows where not to hit.

Thaddeus • 7 hrs ago Report Abuse

So does this Mean ANY ROBBERY at the GUN containing houses makes the NEWSPAPER and ACCESSORY???

American Patriot • 9 hrs ago Report Abuse

I prefer to be on the gun owner list, now the bad guys know who to stay away from. I smell a huge lawsuit coming the way of this publisher, on both sides.​

Robert • 9 hrs ago Report Abuse

The march toward all out war continues

​

 

[dmcowen674]

This is beyond insanity and wreckless by this Newspaper.

I hope the residents there storm the offices.

Like one commenter said, this is the march towards all out civil war.

 

[Skyclad1uhm1]

Good idea to do this. That way concerned parents can look up which of the local Tea Party members is armed and therefor most likely to murder people in the near future.

 

[TallBill]

Finally I agree with whackodave on something.

 

[Arkaign]

Good idea to do this. That way concerned parents can look up which of the local Tea Party members is armed and therefor most likely to murder people in the near future.

I'm far from a Tea party fan, but I don't think you really need to worry about legal owners of firearms. You need to worry about the felon on the street with a burner. Or the untreated psychopath who has obviously needed significant mental health treatment for years. Or both at the same time (Firefighter murderer).

If you were in the midst of a criminal shooting up the shopping center you were in with your family, would you rather a law abiding gun owner happened to be there to fire back or not, regardless of his/her political affiliation? Statistics and common sense say you'd rather have someone capable of returning fire on that fucker. Ideally you wouldn't have that kind of situation occur at all for anyone, but it can and does happen.

 

[Doppel]

There are more long guns in the US than hand, so it's hardly an offer to open-season on people's houses.

 

[Agent11]

That paper should be sued, the editor and anyone responsible fired.

 

[highland145]

 

[Matt1970]

Wow that is fucked up

 

[Engineer]

That paper should be sued, the editor and anyone responsible fired.

I don't agree with what the paper did as it's a political statement and will do nothing but to piss people off but at the same time, people wanted open records and this is a matter of open records. I guess people want it until they don't.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

I don't agree with what the paper did as it's a political statement and will do nothing but to piss people off but at the same time, people wanted open records and this is a matter of open records. I guess people want it until they don't.

Yes, this is clearly the kind of transparency that "people" look for. If you ever argue for openness in government, you are a hypocrite for not being ok with everything becoming public. Everyone knows this.

 

[piasabird]

How about they publis a list of people in the area who take drugs for depression and other mental problems??? These are the people that usually end up killing everyone.

 

[Moonbeam]

Fuck. Now the government is going to know where to go to confiscate our guns.

 

[HeXen]

haha, i think it's funny. public info is public

 

[Pens1566]

How about they publis a list of people in the area who take drugs for depression and other mental problems??? These are the people that usually end up killing everyone.

If you can't see the difference between public records and private, legally protected medical information, you really have no business posting here.

 

[Incorruptible]

This is beyond insanity and wreckless by this Newspaper.

I hope the residents there storm the offices.

Like one commenter said, this is the march towards all out civil war.

I agree. These people ought to be ashamed of themselves for doing this cowardly act. Maybe someone can publish the addresses of all the people that work for the newspaper.

 

[her209]

That paper should be sued, the editor and anyone responsible fired.

The paper should be sued for exercising their freedom of the press? The ironing is delicious.

 

[AnonymouseUser]

Great idea there. People without guns pissing off people with guns. I don't see how this could possibly go wrong.

 

[waggy]

idiotic thing to do. but as people said now the criminals know where NOT to hit.

what did they hope to accomplish?

edit: i remember years ago when the government said the database would not be used to list gun owners. just to keep track of guns...

 

[Incorruptible]

idiotic thing to do. but as people said now the criminals know where NOT to hit.

what did they hope to accomplish?

edit: i remember years ago when the government said the database would not be used to list gun owners. just to keep track of guns...

Just another reason for small government, It looks like liberals want this information out so those people can be targeted.

 

[nehalem256]

idiotic thing to do. but as people said now the criminals know where NOT to hit.

what did they hope to accomplish?

edit: i remember years ago when the government said the database would not be used to list gun owners. just to keep track of guns...

This.

I fail to see how abusing current gun laws is going to induce people to support more.

 

[Jaskalas]

This is beyond insanity and wreckless by this Newspaper.

I hope the residents there storm the offices.

Like one commenter said, this is the march towards all out civil war.

We... are in agreement.

Maybe the world did end on Dec 21st.

 

[OCGuy]

They can post my name all they want. The sign on my lawn can say "Protected by Springfield" instread of "ADT" for all I care.

 

[OCGuy]

The paper should be sued for exercising their freedom of the press? The ironing is delicious.

No really irony....being sued is civil. If someone were to suggest criminal charges, that would go against the 1st.

 

[Engineer]

Yes, this is clearly the kind of transparency that "people" look for. If you ever argue for openness in government, you are a hypocrite for not being ok with everything becoming public. Everyone knows this.

Not so much hypocrite but along the lines of law of unintended consequences. I think of this the same as those that don't mind certain "security" measures because they aren't doing anything wrong so why should they care?....again, until they do. I'm sure that many that were very open to government transparency did not have this (unintended) in mind but I also guess that you can find someone, somewhere that would be offended by every little piece of the open law..if you look hard enough.

Simple fix though...change the law if enough people don't like it.