Newspaper hires armed guards after publishing gun data

[Dave]

Recently, The Journal News of White Plains, NY decided for whatever reason to publish an interactive map on its website that listed the names and addresses of people in Rockland and Westchester counties that had gun permits. Needless to say, this didn't go over well with those listed. It in my opinion is a invasion of privacy and the newspaper should be ashamed of its self for posting the list. Another county was contacted and asked for its list of permit owners but was denied by the county Clerk, Dennis Sant.... good for him! In trying to 'make news', the newspaper has now become the news with having to have armed guards. Obviously they were trying to make some sort of anti-gun statement and now are protected by people with guns.... Pot... meet Kettle.

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) — A New York newspaper that unleashed a public outcry after it published the names and addresses of residents with pistol permits is being protected by armed guards.

The guards have been posted at its White Plains headquarters and in a satellite office in West Nyack since last week, publisher Janet Hasson said. "The safety of my staff is my top priority," she told The New York Times.

In December, the Journal News published online maps with the names and addresses of pistol permit holders in Rockland and Westchester counties, information it sought from public records after the school shooting in Newtown, Conn.

The newspaper's database, which included an interactive map on the Gannett Co.-owned newspaper's website lohud.com, sparked a torrent of criticism from across the country. Some said the publication was an invasion of privacy and could potentially put gun owners at risk. Others compared it to lists of sexual predators or other criminals, and said it was tantamount to presenting gun permit holders as wrongdoers.

Hasson said the newspaper knew the publication would be controversial, but that "we felt sharing information about gun permits in our area was important in the aftermath of the Newtown shootings."

Neighboring Putnam County this week rejected the Journal's request for permit data, after earlier saying it needed more time to compile the information. The newspaper hasn't responded to requests for comment from The Associated Press on the withholding.

Putnam County Clerk Dennis Sant cited safety as his reason for not complying.

"Our world today is far different than it was only a few years ago," Sant said in a statement, explaining that the Internet and social media make it easy for personal information to be exposed.

As an example of the risks he considered, Sant said he was contacted by a significant number of permit holders who have protection orders against other individuals and now own guns to protect themselves.

Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell supported Sant's denial. A news conference to discuss the move was slated for later Wednesday.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/01/03/gun-permit-dat...

[XLFD]

This is the perfect example for why gun registration by government runs counter to our nation's ideals.  A bunch of bureaucrats have access to this gun permit data, data they can use at any time for whatever purpose only they know-- presumably for keeping us safe.  They likely have similar charts like the newspaper has made public. 

But when this information is gotten and published for all to see, everyone is rightly upset about the invasion of the permittee's privacy, gun owners and not.  The conclusion:  gun registration is an invasion of privacy to begin with, and the government should stop or modify the practice.  The conclusion most of the media will make, however, is that FOIA needs one more exemption.

[XLFD]

I have seen several folks arguing over this point, and getting heavily on the newspaper's case about why they have decided to take this information and put it on a map.  "Why are they invading these people's privacy?" , "Why do they feel that others need to know this information?"  and "Why are they stigmatizing legal gun-owners in the same way they do sex offenders?" seem to be three of the most usual questions.

 

These are three questions we have to ask those who would like the government to have registries of gun owners.  Why, why, and why?  The newspaper has inadvertently shown both sides of the gun debate why gun registration by the government is a bad thing, particularly if we really want an open government.

[Willy]

If I were a non gun owner I would be extremely upset with that stupid liberal rag of a newspaper because they are informing every crook in the area of the houses that have no fire arms that could be used to defend against criminals. Again the liberal / progressive mindset shows how ignorant their philosophy is. No common sense.

[Dave]

Its quite possible that a burglary in White Plains, NY, is attributed to the map that the Journal News put on their website. If this turns out to be the case, it will make it even more clear what a terrible idea it was to put that map up. If someone ends up murdered because of this map, I hope the family goes after the Journal News and sues them til they have no money to print another paper.

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — A lawmaker has expressed concern that a burglary in White Plains might be tied to the gun permit map the Journal News recently showed the world.

Read: White Plains PBA Letter to Journal News (pdf)

As WCBS 880’s Alex Silverman reported, the home on Davis Avenue was one of several red dots scattered across the neighborhood on the map the Journal News released last month.

A source said burglars broke in Saturday evening, and went straight for the gun safe. But they could not get it open.

“It’s absolutely sickening,” said New York State Sen. Greg Ball (R-Patterson.)

Ball has been outspoken since the uproar about the map began. His bills would ban the release of gun permit information to the public.

“We’re not surprised,” Ball said. “Criminals have already testified to the fact that this would happen. If this is the case, the Journal News needs to be held personally responsible.”

On Monday, Ball will unveil S2132, which he said will protect the privacy rights of ordinary citizens, police officers, victims of domestic violence, and private citizens who own guns.

“The same elitist eggheads who use their editorial page to coddle terrorists and criminals are now treating law abiding citizens like level three sexual predators,” Ball said in a news release. “These bills are critical to keep folks safe and fundamentally protect their inherent right to privacy.”

1010 WINS’ Gene Michaels wanted to hear from the homeowner if thieves tried to get into the gun safe, but he refused to comment. But his neighbor, M.A., confirmed there was a burglary.

M.A. does not have a gun and is not on the Journal News map. She defended the choice to release the list.

“You know, I think it should be out there,” she said. “I think it protects people more than it harms them.”

It was not known Sunday evening whether the homeowner had any ties to law enforcement. White Plains police have not confirmed any of the details of the break-in or the investigation.

The Journal News in December published the names and addresses of p..., in response to the Newtown school shootings in Connecticut.

The reaction to the project, which includes an article and interactive map that reveals the names and addresses of people licensed to own handguns, was mixed.

The Journal News released a statement about the project saying, “Sharing information about gun permits in our area was important in the aftermath of the Newtown shootings.”

However, some worried it could make the situation worse.

“If you’re a robber looking to burglarize a home where you might steal guns now you a have a map,” senior correspondent John Miller said on CBS This Morning.

The Journal News had planned to release a similar map for Putnam County, but the County Clerk Dennis Sant refused to release names and addre...

The Web site Gawker also published a 446-page list of licensed gun owners for New York City – including only names and not addresses. The list drew consternation from City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.

“I think the rules for getting a gun need to be tougher, but if you meet the rules, and you get a license in the legal way, and you have that license, I don’t think that should be printed in a newspaper,” she said.

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/01/13/gun-permit-list-to-blame-for...

[Dave]

An update on this story..... The Journal News has decided to remove the interactive list from their website after 27 days. They say its because they feel that anyone that wanted to see it, has done so... they say it wasn't removed because they were cowering or any other reason. Obviously, no one is going to believe that. They took it down because of the tremendous amount of bad publicity and employees having their information posted. This was very much a public safety issue and they need to hope that there are no murders or robberies committed due to the list (there is potentially 2 attempted robberies that could possibly be connected to the posting of the list).

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) — A suburban New York City newspaper has removed the names and addresses of residents with pistol permits from its w...

Publication of the permit data following last month’s school shooting massacre in Newtown, Conn., produced a storm of outrage from gun owners.

It also quickly resulted in a new state measure meant to protect permit holders’ privacy.

The president and publisher of The Journal News Media Group announced the move Friday.

Janet Hasson said the new law does not require removing the data, but “doing so complies with its spirit.”

The Journal News had published interactive maps on its LoHud.com site pinpointing thousands of permit holders in Westchester and Rockland counties. The maps remained online late Friday but could no longer be manipulated to find names and addresses.

Hasson said in a letter to readers that “hundreds of threats were made to Journal News staffers” in the aftermath of the controversy, but that those threats were not the deciding factor in the move.

“Our decision to do so is not a concession to critics that no value was served by the posting of the map in the first place,” Hasson wrote. “Nor is our decision made because we were intimidated by those who threatened the safety of our staffers. We know our business is a controversial one, and we do not cower.”

Instead, Hasson said because the database was public for 27 days, the paper believes “those who wanted to view it have done so already.”

Local blogger Robert Cox posted the names and numbers of Journal News employees in retaliation.

Cox said he did it because he called what the paper did irresponsible.

“This went too far and I think it did expose the people to some risk,” Cox told 1010 WINS’ Gary Baumgarten.

“We had a case in White Plains, New York, which may or may not have had something to do with the map. But it was somebody that was on the map and their guns were stolen. My worry was always that this was basically a potential shopping list for people who are looking to acquire guns, criminals,” Cox said.

Cox said despite the Journal News’ decision, his map won’t be coming down.

“They started the fight, but they don’t get to decide when it ends,” Cox said. “Our map is still making the same point that it was always making, which is that we think what they did was wrong.”

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/01/18/journal-news-removes-controv...

[Brian Carlson]

Why is it that the people who are speaking out against guns, have guns themselves or are protected by guns? Example: Sen Feinstein, Rosie Odonal, POTUS, and on and on...

[easymoney]

because rules are made for thee, not me

[AQUAMAN]

Isn't THAT THE TRUTH, & quite simply put Easy, plus 110% accurate! Thanks.

[XLFD]

Just in case you live in Michigan and fret that your gun registration (or lack thereof) may be made public by a local newspaper or half-crazed FOIA afficionado, I have uncovered a FOIA case that would seem to say that these records are protected under MI FOIA law: 

Mager v Dep’t of State Police, 460 Mich 134; 595 NW2d 142 (1999).
State Police is not required to provide the names and addresses of registered handgun owners. Gun ownership is information that meets both elements of the FOIA privacy exemption, section (13)(1)(a). Gun registration
information is of a “personal nature,” and the disclosure of such information would constitute a “clearly unwarranted” invasion of the individual’s privacy.

[Willy]

Good find X.