Rockland County, NY – A controversial decision on the part of The Journal News (http://goo.gl/ugMM4) to publish the names and addresses of hundreds of residents in Westchester and Rockland counties who possess a handgun or pistol permit has sparked a furor online and on social media, with over 1,100 comments posted on The Journal News website and 18,000 likes on Facebook so far.
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ABC News reports (http://yhoo.it/W0tBDW) that gun owners’ names and addresses were placed on a virtual map, enabling viewers to click on any dot to determine who has a weapons permit and where they live.
“This is CRAZY!! Why in the world would you post every licensed gun owner’s information?? This is the type of thing you do for sex offenders, not law abiding gun owners…I am canceling my subscription with your paper today!!!” wrote one commenter.
All of the data was culled from public records. The Journal News has also put in a Freedom of Information Law request to obtain the same information for residents in Putnam County. Officials there are still in the process of gathering those records.
In a statement, The Journal News defended its decision to post the information, saying its readers “are understandably interested to know about guns in their neighborhoods,” in the wake of the shooting massacre in Newtown, Connecticut 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. We also requested information on the number and types of guns owned by permit holders, but officials in the county clerks offices in Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties maintained that those specifics were not public record. New York’s top public-records expert, Robert Freeman, disagrees,” the statement said.
The Journal News said it would not answer any additional questions about the map.
now all criminals will know who DOESN’T have guns
I would be much more interested in knowing if someone on my block had licenses for multiple assault weapons than if he had been convicted for watching pritzus on his computer. There are several similiar FOIA requests pending for the license information on gunowners in NYC (a much smaller group considering NYC gun laws) which will also be published soon.
how stupid can this country get already ?? someone with a little extra time to waste..
why not make a map of all illegal gun owners in the area?? just mind boggling
This is a good thing. It will deter crime. The fact is that anywhere in the world where there is freedom to bear arms, crime goes down.
All you gunophobes, dont come calling me to protect you when a psycho subhuman comes shooting up your gun-free neighborhood.
Wow, Monsey is loaded!
Oh my, now all the criminals know who is ripe for a robbery. And let me guess, they won’t be attacking any gunowners….
There should be such a map showing all ilegel driveways.
Wow, now that I see my neighbors have one, I feel the pressure to get a gun too, Thanks JN.
Dor Ekaysh uFesaltol. A real generation of stupidity.
Zoom in on Cloverdale Rd in Monsey!! MDT is packing heat!
No legal guns in BoroPark, Flatbush, Crown Heights. Have the Jews learned nothing from their past?
I cannot imagine why a newspaper would do this, but it is within their rights.
This article proves beyond a shaddow of a doubt that media have a leftist political agenda. There was no reason to publish these peoples’ names other than for a political statement.
And too bad I don’t live there because I’d be from the group that doesn’t pack and guess what -do you think that I’m scared now that they know I’m unarmed? Got news for you I’m not scared at all. There is more than one way to skin a cat. That Perp will be going out in a box, but of course it won’t be quick and easy for him like if he would just be shot.
The funniest thing is that Pres. Obama and Mayor Bloomberg all have armed guards. Are they gonna give up their guards after they and their fellow libs pass laws on gun control? Anybody with a half a brain knows the answer to this one!
This is a bad thing! Now the crimimals will stalk these houses and break in and steal the guns and worse!