US gun-control war begins: Newspaper posts gun owners’ names and addresses on an online interactive map

Lohud.com, an affiliate of The Journal News, has just recently published an online, interactive map giving the names and addresses of registered hand-gun owners in two New York counties and are trying to do it in three. At this stage they have posted the gun-ownership details for the counties of Westchester, Rockland, and are awaiting information on Putnam. Go to the website and click the dots on the map and you will see how low the anti-gun crowd will stoop.

Even though they are legally allowed to publish this information because of the state’s freedom of information law, it is an absolutely despicable invasion of privacy. They have posted the names and addresses of legal gun owners, not criminals, legal gun owners; they are intimidating law-abiding citizens as if they were paedophiles. Not only are they penalising gun owners with the interactive map, they are also penalising non-gun owners as well as the map allows burglars to see which people have guns and which don’t before committing their crimes.

The following is a snippet from the news website:

“These maps indicate the addresses of all pistol permit holders in Westchester and Rockland counties. Each dot represents an individual permit holder licensed to own a handgun — a pistol or revolver. The data does not include owners of long guns — rifles or shotguns — which can be purchased without a permit. Being included in this map does not mean the individual at a specific location owns a weapon, just that they are licensed to do so.

Data for all permit categories, unrestricted carry, premises, business, employment, target and hunting, is included, but permit information is not available on an individual basis.

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.

Putnam County officials could not immediately provide any data. The map will be updated when that data is released.”

Example map:

It appears, however, that Americans are not accepting this lightly; they are fighting back and according to The Voice Of Russia, the newspaper has had to hire armed guards at its head office.

“US newspaper hires armed guards after threats

In the US a newspaper that drew nationwide anger after publishing the names and addresses of handgun permit holders last month is being guarded by armed security personnel at two of its offices.

The armed guards — hired from local private security companies — have been stationed in The Journal News’s headquarters and in a satellite office since last week.

The newspaper prompted a national discussion and a torrent of rage online after it published an interactive map of handgun permit holders in two of New York State counties on its website last month.

The Journal News had gathered the information from public records after the December 15 school shooting in nearby Newtown, Conn., which left 27 people dead, including the shooter, 20-year-old Adam Lanza.” 

The second amendment of the Bill of Rights reads:

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

And as far as I can ascertain the second amendment was included in the American Constitution to ensure freedom from tyranny, the very tyranny that The Journal News wants; the very tyranny Obama would dearly love to have. 

Since the shooting in Connecticut, guns sales across America are up; this suggests many Americans are well aware of Obama's intentions.