Gee, ya think?
(Journal News) Thousands of people, many from outside Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties, have taken to their computers and phones in rage after The Journal News posted an online database of local gun-permit holders.
The database, legally obtained from the County Clerks’ Offices through a Freedom of Information Act request made after the shootings in Sandy Hook, Conn., that left 20 children and eight adults dead, has been called irresponsible, dangerous and leaning toward intimidation by online pundits.
Hundreds of callers have complained, claiming publication of the database put their safety at risk or violated their privacy. Others claimed publication was illegal. Many of the callers were vitriolic and some threatened members of the newspaper staff.
The map itself was meant to intimidate, shame, and threaten legal gun permit holders in the three NY counties.
“We knew publication of the database would be controversial, but we felt sharing as much information as we could about gun ownership in our area was important in the aftermath of the Newtown shootings,†said CynDee Royle, editor and vice president/news.
Poor little CynDee is so worried about sharing information that she deleted her Facebook page and has her Twitter account marked private.
“People are concerned about who owns guns and how many of them there are in their neighborhoods,†she said. “Our Freedom of Information request also sought specifics on how many and what types of weapons people owned. That portion of the request was denied.â€
Personally, I think the map is a great thing. It tells criminals exactly which people and homes not to mess with, unless said criminal prefers to be ventilated. For those who have no guns, well, the map isn’t such a great thing for them, as criminals now know which homes to go after, whether it be for theft, rape, violence, murder, etc.
Just for the record, I have a Walther P99 and a Walther P22. I also have a live alarm system. If the latter doesn’t stop a perp, one of the former will. Of course, my neighbors with Obama 2012 stickers on their cars probably do not have guns, so criminals will probably stop there first.
“This is what I see,†(Scott F. Williams) said. “It’s all in the context of the shootings in Newtown … it gets us all talking about gun control. That people are at a heightened concern makes sense to me. I am a gun owner and a pro-Second-Amendment (person). I try to be rational.†He called the newspaper’s decision to link to the database “highly Orwellian.â€
“The implications are mind-boggling,†he said. “It’s as if gun owners are sex offenders (and) to own a handgun risks exposure as if one is a sex offender. It’s, in my mind, crazy.â€
Well, liberals typically treat sex offenders better than gun owners. Many people keep guns at home because of absurd, reckless, and shameful policies towards criminals pushed by Democrats, who rarely want to treat criminals harshly, but instead want to understand them, sympathize with them, redeem them, etc. Punishing them? Not so much.
Now, if only the Journal News would spend the time to find out where the illegal guns are…..what’s that? Those are dangerous, unlike the ones held legally? Hmph.
Crossed at Right Wing News and Stop The ACLU.
Teach do you encourage your workers to openly carry guns while at work ? Do you personally openly carry while at work ? If you do either of these things please post the address of your stores so that potential customers will be aware and be able to shop in a comfortable and safe environment. Or not.
None of your questions address why you want to disarm people or take away their choice of being able to carry a weapon.
That is the real issue.
Why are you interested in denying people the right to defend themselves?
I’ll tell ya what, john, you post every location that doesn’t allow weapons and see how safe that location is.
Rational thinking people know the answer because we have history to look back upon. In the last 50 years, the sites of all mass shootings except for one (Gabby Giffords) was at a “gun free” zone.
If your question is “do people want to be safe,” then your proposal to disarm people gets the opposite result.
I’m appalled that a local database even exists that has gun owners an their addresses.
I understand there must be a link between a gun’s serial number and the last known owner, but that should be at the federal level. And I’m still a bit unnerved by that.
And now, our government officials want us to be put on an approved list even before we are allowed to purchase and approved gun that fits a narrow definition.