The world of professional journalism appears unflinchingly intent on continuing its tumble into the unrecognizable abyss.
In its latest act of compelling investigative journalism, the “professional media,” embodied in this instance by The Journal News, published an interactive map through its online affiliate, LoHud.com. This map, seen below, fixes a little red dot above “the addresses of all pistol permit holders in Westchester and Rockland counties.”
The accompanying article identifies no particular purpose for publishing the map with the exception of the title which merely poses the question: Where are the gun permits in your neighborhood?
The analogy to the sex offender database is striking and, perhaps, even intentional.
What is the Journal News attempting to accomplish with such a map? Shall we have our children take a different way home from school knowing that Mr. Johnson down the street seeks to protect his family by legally obtaining a gun permit?
Or perhaps The Journal News would like us to round up a posse and converge on the homes of local, law abiding gun owners.
No, it’s not clear what the purpose of running this article was for The Journal News. What is clear is that vast number of legal gun owners are bearing the brunt of the harsh criticism coming in the wake of a series of criminal acts committed by people who illegally obtained weapons.
Of course, in the very same article, The Journal News sought to abdicate responsibility for whatever consequences may come from aggregating the information for their readers.
To create the map, The Journal News submitted Freedom of Information requests for the names and addresses of all pistol permit holders in Westchester, Rockland and Putnam. By state law, the information is public record.
With this blanket abdication, The Journal News feels that their systematic demonization and alienation of their law abiding neighbors was warranted. They may not have broken any laws in aggregating the personal information of gun permit owners, but the ethical impropriety of doing so is obvious.
Indeed, the article even prompted one commenter on the article to ask, “So should we start wearing yellow Stars of David so the general public can be aware of who we are??”
While that might be taking the analogy a bit far, it is worth noting that the demonization of legal gun owners has been spearheaded by the main stream media. Whether it’s Bob Costas on Sunday Night Football, David Gregory on Meet the Press, or Piers Morgan on CNN, the assault has been coordinated and vicious.
The article by The Journal News is just the latest effort by the “professional media” aimed at alienating legal gun owners from “normal Americans.” They are attempting, yet again, to unfairly and inaccurately paint their opposition as extreme. Moreover, they seek to dehumanize the concerns of those engaged in a constitutionally protected right and, perhaps, are even consciously attempting to associate a gun permit database with a sex offender registry.
After all, how likely is it that public opinion will rush to defend the rights of a sex offender?
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Comments
Could someone please take that and overlay it with where armed crime occurs, so we can see if there’s a correlation between gun-ownership and violent crime? My guess is that there’s lower crime where those gun owners live.
Now do same with registered Democrats v. crime rates.
Where are the “blue dots” that show the locations of the illegally held and carried weapons.
Apparently in the Obamanation, where millions of illegal aliens get amnesty by executive fiat, and where the DOJ won’t even consider prosecuting blatant voting rights violations committed by blacks and other minorities, the fact that there are still some people who actually go to the trouble of complying with the law is “news.”
Don’t need to.
Look at the ever increasing density of firearms as you approach the border with New York City.
The demographics (yeah, I know… go ahead and call me racist…) of the area are striking as you move from one of the richest places on Earth to one of the poorest.
I did work for quite a few golf courses in Westchester County a few years back. One encounter left an impression on me.
This particular golf course was so unnerved by the escalating vandalism and other crime on their property that they had taken to hiring off duty NYPD officers to patrol the course – and they were packing – during the afternoon and nighttime hours.
Game Theory: Tit for Tat!
A palpable hit. There is a tremendous amount of data out there about every individual in the public domain. EVERY freaking employee of the Journo-List [editorial and otherwise] 2.0 media and every TWANLOC politician and immediate family should receive the same treatment; and everything found should be available at one public access point. That information should not only include name, address, social media, publicly available financial information, party and voting registration, any party offices held [delegate to anything above precinct caucus?], political contributions, criminal records, hobbies, interests, and psycho-sexual quirks. And it should be available to anyone who is writing a counter to any biased BS coming out of said media.
Every Alinsky tactic possible should be used against any of the Enemy. They show no quarter, and as the Constitution fades, they will become more aggressive and violent. Make them pay.
Subotai Bahadur
Since the analogy between a registry for gun owners and one for sex offenders permeates the article, this is not off topic. I would like to see a map of the registrants in any given town or city overlaid with a map of recently reported sexual assaults and sexual abuse of children. I do not know what the results would be of the map you suggest of gun owners to lower crime rates, but I guarantee you that my map would yield a correlation so low that it is possible a few people would actually wonder why we are tracking people who have committed sexual offenses in the past rather than figuring out how to prevent sexual offenses from occurring in the present and future.
Actually – what if there IS a correlation between high areas of Dem voters and violent crime? I think that would be a very interesting picture. I think of comparing Chicago & Detroit v. a couple of cities in Idaho/Montana/Texas.
And lower crime in predominantly Republican areas? Wouldn’t it then make sense, as a matter of public service, to outlaw belonging to the Democratic Party, and pass a law requiring membership (along with required dues-payments) to the Republican Party? I mean, it’s not like the unions could say “no” to enforced dues laws, and who’s going to say they’re publicly in favor of higher rates of violent crime?
🙂
I don’t believe any laws were broken here as the paper printed information readily available in the public domain.
Actually, this article links to New York law that yes the law was broken. The clerk who released this information did not have authorization to do so.
Did the Journal-News break the law by posting gun permit holders’ names?
Any bets the party responsible for releasing this information will not suffer any consequence?
In polite society, one allows others to disclose that they are gun owners. Asking is not polite as it is none of your business.
Any validity to this posted in the comments of the article you linked? It is just a bill not the law
Bill was refered to the Codes Committee 2-24-12
http://legiscan.com/NY/bill/A09388
http://ypdcrime.com/penal.law/article400.htm#
Then you read it more carefully than I did. However, my understanding is that in most states revealing who is a gun owner is not public information, nor is who has applied for or received a permit for position or for carrying. Knowing a person is a gun owner makes their residence a possible target for theft. In the same way, concealed carry permit holders are expected to keep their gun concealed, lest they upset others.
The best upshot of the despicable Journal News article is Christopher Fountain’s blog post ‘Sauce for the Goose’, in which the names and contact information for many Journal News officials are carefully collected and displayed so that the public may address them personally. Hoist with their own petard.
http://christopherfountain.wordpress.com/2012/12/24/sauce-for-the-goose/
Interesting countermeasures here:
Somebody posted up all the names and home addresses of the Reporters that worked on the gun owners piece..
Over at Weasel Zippers today.
Which I find amusing…
I wonder if the publisher of the paper has a carry permit like Pinch Sulzberger does? If he does, I’m sure it’s a case of “what’s good for me is dangerous to thee”.
I believe this sign explains the whole thing.
Priceless! Should be a bumper sticker.
How FUN…!!! I wonder if there is enough resolution on the map for…say…a home invasion crew to know where NOT to go, and implicitly where TO go…???
Years ago, a cop told me something he said would never be reported in the media: That when a home owner shoots an intruder, the crime rate in the entire neighborhood will drop like a stone for at least 6 weeks after the shooting.
The people at the paper may think they are “outing” those evil gun owners, but they are also clearly mapping the homes of NON-gun owners. Criminals now know what homes and even neighborhoods to stay away from and which they can safely rob.
(Why do liberals never consider unintended consequences?)
Because unintended consequences are a crisis that a good lib never fails to take advantage of!
Yep.
Just like Santa Claus, criminals will be saving this interactive map to their favorites folder … and checking it twice to see who’s been naughty and nice … nice and vulnerable.
OTOH there might be a case made by the Journal News they were simply providing “safety zone” location information for non-armed neighbors to know when faced with armed criminals they might safely repair to a place while waiting the nominal 20 minutes it takes police to respond./sarc/
The Jawa Report has a map of sex offenders in the area, along with some interesting questions. http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/214640.php
Let’s see other maps, ie, muslim residences interfaced with rape locations and African American neighborhoods interfaced with robberies, murders, etc.
Bet this propaganda newspaper would not have the courage to do those maps.
Okay, it’s officially a crazy world when you publicly shame people who jump through the hoops to do the right and legal thing … get a permit.
Next they’ll be publishing the names and addresses of subscribers to “Field & Stream.”
There hearts are pure. They simply want to reduce gun violence by making sure criminals know which houses to avoid.
so now the criminals know who to target, the ones who are not armed for self defense.
Did the damn “news”paper even think about that?!?!
Criminals now have a full layout of who is armed and who is not!
I hear many have been harrassed with phone calls and such. Hmm…bold enough to harrass people with guns; are they emboldened with some extra bravery? “They bring knives, you bring guns,” as their Dear Leader dictated. What are they bring that is bigger than a handgun? Bingo.
Legal permit holders, laugh it off and post this to your home(s) front and back.
This Is You! To Bad So Sad!
…and that’s why I appreciate living in Texas where no such restrictions apply or database exists.
Of course guns ARE prohibited for convicted felons etc. which only is common sense.
Any law abiding citizen can apply for and receive a CHL but you do not need the permit to carry in your personal vehicle.
That’s the way it should be nationwide…
To borrow from Nielmoller: First they came for the sex offenders but I was not a sex offender.
Then they came for gun owners . . .
Find out who among them owns guns, has armed security, sends their kids to private schools with armed security, and expose them and publish the information online. Call them out!
You are looking at this as a bad thing. It may be an opportunity unless the “journalists” involved cleaned the list. How many lefties and politicians and bureaucrats own guns who are listed? If I lived up there, I’d go through the list and Google them each. If they held any position inside the government (outside retired PD people) or hold any position of power I’d out them with a hat tip to the newspaper.
Just saying… I like playing dirty.
I just did one for fun, concentrating on the Manhattan area. Found someone you might not think would support gun rights and very much a part of the NYPD world.
I’m telling you, this could get fun.
From Ace of Spades:
http://minx.cc/?post=335989
The article posts personal information about the editor. Needless to say, this is a violation of the First Amendment because she is a LIBERAL, and laws don’t apply to them.
Send mail to her home, but no threats, just sarcasm.
I don’t think that anyone who has enough sense to come in out of the rain is going to organize a protest mob to bother any of those gun owners at their homes. Do you??
A few years back my house was burgled while I was asleep in my room. The Philadelphia cops who responded to the scene were thorough and very business-like. Before they left, the lead cop pulled me aside to suggest I buy a gun, and he specifically suggested a shotgun because it was easy to learn, safe, and could clear the entire hallway without having to aim carefully. His comments, not mine.
What these moronic liberal newspaper so-called journalists are doing, is trying to play- “Let’s shame gun owning people in the public’s eye, via public printing of them and their legal private information”, where there is no shame to be had, just disclosure of private information.
These liberal newspaper idiots actually believe they are serving a cause, but only serve their own ignorance and idiocy. Not only will it not work, but this paper has seen fit to violate people’s civil rights of private of information, just as if someone were publishing their medical records for all to see. This paper should and must be sued.
Let’s turn the tables on the Journal and see how they like it!
Journal News President:
—Janet Hasson, 3 Gate House Lane Mamaroneck, NY 10534 (914) 694.5204
Editors:
—Cyndee Royle, 1133 Westchester Ave., Suite N110, White Plains, NY 10604, 914-694-9300
–Nancy Cutler 9 Woodwind Ln, Spring Valley, NY. (845) 354 3485
Parent company of The Journal News Gannett
—–CEO Gracia C Martore 728 Springvale Rd Great Falls, VA 22066 (703) 759 5954
The reporter on the story is:
–Dwight R Worley 23006 139 Ave Springfield Gardens, NY 11413 (718) 527 0832
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So I just use this article to find the nearest place to break in and steal a gun? And the paper that printed this information is not liable? I cannot believe that they would not be guilty of manslaughter if this scenerio played out!