Outrage after NY paper publishes names of gun permit holders

The Journal News published a map of residents who have handgun permits in two counties, including Westchester county (above). / The Journal News/lowhud.com

NEW YORK A newspaper's publication of the names and addresses of handgun permit holders in two New York counties has sparked online discussions — and a healthy dose of outrage.

The Journal News, a Gannett Co. newspaper covering three counties in the Hudson Valley north of New York City and operating the website lohud.com, posted a story Sunday detailing a public-records request it filed to obtain the information.

The 1,800-word story headlined, "The gun owner next door: What you don't know about the weapons in your neighborhood," said the information was sought after the Dec. 14 school shooting in Newtown, Conn., about 50 miles northeast of the paper's headquarters in White Plains. A gunman killed his mother, drove to an elementary school and massacred 20 first-graders and six adults, then shot himself. All the weapons used were legally owned by his mother.

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The Journal News story includes comments from both sides of the gun-rights debate and presents the data as answering concerns of those who would like to know whether there are guns in their neighborhood. It reports that about 44,000 people in Westchester, Putnam and Rockland counties are licensed to own a handgun, and that rifles and shotguns can be purchased without a permit.

It was accompanied online by maps of the results for Westchester and Rockland counties; similar details had not yet been provided by Putnam County. A reader clicking on the maps can see the name and address of each pistol or revolver permit holder. Accompanying text states that inclusion does not necessarily mean that an individual owns a weapon, just who obtained a license.

By Wednesday afternoon, the maps had shared about 30,000 times on Facebook and other social media.

Most online comments have criticized the publication of the data, and many suggest it puts the permit holders in danger because criminals have a guide to places they can steal guns. Others maintain it tells criminals who does not have a gun and may be easier to victimize, or where to find law enforcement figures against whom they might hold a grudge.

Some responded by publicizing the home addresses and phone numbers of the reporter who wrote the piece, along with other journalists at the paper and even senior executives of Gannett. Many echoed the idea that publicizing gun permit holders' names is tantamount to accusing them of doing something wrong, comparing the move to publishing lists of registered sex offenders.

The Journal News is standing behind the project. It said in the story that it published a similar list in 2006.

"Frequently, the work of journalists is not popular. One of our roles is to report publicly available information on timely issues, even when unpopular," Janet Hasson, president and publisher of The Journal News Media Group, said in an emailed statement. "We knew publication of the database (as well as the accompanying article providing context) would be controversial, but we felt sharing information about gun permits in our area was important in the aftermath of the Newtown shootings."

Roy Clark, a senior scholar at the Poynter Institute, a Florida-based journalism think tank, said publishing the data was "too indiscriminate."

He, too, compared the maps to similar efforts involving sex-offender registries or lists of those arrested for driving under the influence, noting that such a move is usually done to indicate a serious problem that requires a neighbor or parent to maintain vigilance.

"You get the connotation that somehow there's something essentially wrong with this behavior," he said of the gun permit database.

"My predisposition is to support the journalism," Clark said. "I want to be persuaded that this story or this practice has some higher social purpose, but I can't find it."

Also common among the comments on the lohud.com were suggestions about suing the paper for violating permit-holders' privacy rights. Such a move would likely be unsuccessful.

"The media has no liability for publishing public information," said Edward Rudofsky, a First Amendment attorney at Zane and Rudofsky in New York. The issue does present a clash between First and Second amendment rights, he said, but in general, the law protects publishing public information unless the intent was to harm someone.

[ArrogantAntagonist]

It is completely ridiculous for someone to put their staff, the community, neighborhoods, etc. at risk by posting the names of those citizens who are legally protecting themselves. First, the Fluff-For-Brains editor Cyndee Royle and her staff probably thought the anti-gun activists would take their little signs and protest outside the houses of gun owners. Instead, she and her staff exposed those without protection and put her entire staff and everyone else at risk. It's amazing how these liberals are all about getting rid of guns but are all about having protection! What are will body guards be using? Words? Pens? Wet Noodles?

Are gun owners supposed to protect their unarmed neighbors against invasions by criminals? But then again, it just shows how pathetically ridiculous liberals are. They will stand on the side of wrong regardless.

In all my years of journalism, I've never seen such irresponsible reporting trying to mask itself as news and journalism. Shame on you for jeopardizing the community!

These people are not sex offenders, murders, rapists and drug addicts. They are law abiding citizens with the right to own guns and you're treating them as if they are criminals.

How pathetic!

[Aussiebobbie]

lol, a journo with typos

[dutch-mill-68]

Many say "Better to be tried by 12 than carried by 6." I do not advocate breaking the laws where you live but, sadly, a large number of people and their families have been carried by 6 - if we could ask the what they would have done differently, what do you suppose they'd say?

[dutch-mill-68]

Meant to say ... A large number of people who could legally choose to have the means to defend themselves but did not ... they and their families were each carried by 6

[ColdPizzainam]

Criminals invade homes looking for anything they can use or sell for cash, guns included. So, unless you have no cash, jewelry, etc...along with not having any guns, you might be safe. I am not a criminal, but if I were, I certainly would want to know who doesnt have any guns before invading a home. If I were in those NJ counties and I wasnt packing, I'd be VERY worried. Nice work, Journal News.

[dsg9d30]

Reporter of the Story:
Dwight R Worley
23006 139 Ave
Springfield Gardens, NY 11413
[phone]

Journal News President:
Janet Hasson
3 Gate House Lane Mamaroneck, NY 10534
[phone]

Editors:

Cyndee Royle
1133 Westchester Avenue, Suite N110
White Plains, NY 10604
[phone]

Nancy Cutler
9 Woodwind Lane
Spring Valley, NY
[phone]

Stop by and say hi.

[1pheasant1]

"Stop by and say hi.

We would love to. What's your address?

[BubaEinstein]

At least now with this map. We know where to go to get free guns.

[come_on_by]

@BubaEinstein: don't you think these owners are willing to protect their homes & families?????

[sickofwhiners]

If they published that type of map for the area I live in, you would not be able to see the map because of the dots. We are not paranoid around here. We have always had guns. Always will. I got my first shotgun when I was 11. My son got his first shotgun when he was 11. We hunt and the rule is if you kill it, you eat it. When I was a teenager there were very few wild turkeys around here. Now they are everywhere. There were no deer on my family farm. The other day my dad saw 2 8 point bucks and 2 6 point bucks in a space of 5 minutes.
Most of the gun crime in this area is because of prescription painkiller and methamphetamine abuse. If they would address that problem, there would be much less crime in this area. Wait, they did pass laws against it and it still exists. I guess passing laws made people feel better but it actually did little to stop that problem. There also have been several incidents of locals successfully defending themselves from home invasions by drug addicts looking for pills. It is amazing how few home invasions we have now.
As for the rights of the newspaper to print that information, sure they have the right to do so. The newspapers here would not do that because it would backfire so badly they would be out of business. I do not mind people knowing that I have guns. Around here it is best to assume that everyone has them because you would almost always be correct.

[foo8259]

Just because you CAN do something doesn't mean you should. I wonder if lists are kept for those $10 background checks we all have to do now to buy any type of gun from a dealer, but not a collector?

[FormerUSMCSergeant]

ReTrep3322 says:... the leftists running this newspaper view gun owners as no less repugnant than child molesters...".
---
More likely they view them as paranoids who feel they have to "pack" to get through life......

[Type_Z]

I would rather be paranoid then clueless.

[Type_Z]

I want the name and address of anyone who purchases or reads this newspaper. I have some assumptions about them.

[Habibi-Matrimonials]

I guess criminals will skip those residences and go after ones who are without...

[Type_Z]

Yes, her intention was to intimidate, harass, and supposedly embarrass the gun owners. This could work another way.

A very clueless and naive woman.