Registered gun owners in Westchester, Putnam, and Rockland Counties in New York were in for a shock earlier this week when their addresses and names were released, and mapped, in an article written by The Journal News titled “The Gun Owner Next Door: What you Don’t Know About the Weapons in Your Neighborhood”. While this information is available under freedom of information laws, this simple act has sparked some outrage among gun owners and privacy advocates alike. In an article by the New York Times about this outrage one commenter to the original article is cited:
Understandably, gun owners and privacy-rights activists are rather upset. The article, posted Saturday, has since received nearly 2,000 comments, most of them criticizing the newspaper. “This is the type of thing you do for sex offenders, not law-abiding gun owners,” wrote commenter Curtis Maenza. Others pointed out that the map could in fact help promote additional crimes, by highlighting homes that do not have guns, providing “a list of homes to avoid, now knowing that the other homes in the neighborhood are not armed and thus easier to invade,” wrote commenter Joseph Conklin.
There has also been retaliation towards The Journal News itself, as a blogger has released the names and addresses of some key staff following the publication of the gun owner article.
Does the freedom to access such information make it appropriate to use in this format or is it an obvious breech of privacy? Some of the arguments that this list will put gun owners at harm, whether for being chastised for owning a gun or targeted by those who want to steal the guns, would suggest that this was an inappropriate use of free information while others have argued that it allows you to know who can protect you if needed.
This whole situation raises so many ethical questions, and makes me wonder how easily accessible (legally and illegally our information truly is in this technology age. What is your opinion?
Written By Georgianna Reilly, LMSW
SJS Staff Writer
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Glad you tackled this Georgia. To me, it was unethical and I question both article’s author and the Journal news as to why they would post this information and if they gave any thought to their individual culpability if even one of those weapons gets stolen and used to harm an innocent person.
I am personally conflicted. Yes it is public information but there is a process to access it for a reason, and they got rid of that process by publishing it and potentially putting it in the hands of those that can use it in the wrong way in many many ways
It is public, and can be accessed- but the Journal was irresponsible in doing so. Worst case- those homes can now be targeted very easily for burglary while owners are out. And it strengthen the anti-gun registry position held by NRA and other pro-Second Amendment groups.
it was in violation of state law,
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
9388
I N A S S E M B L Y
February 24, 2012
___________
Introduced by M. of A. MAGEE — read once and referred to the Committee
on Codes
AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to pistol permit privacy
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 5 of section 400.00 of the penal law, as
2 amended by chapter 332 of the laws of 1994, is amended to read as
3 follows:
4 5. Filing of approved applications. (A) The application for any
5 license, if granted, shall be filed by the licensing officer with the
6 clerk of the county of issuance, except that in the city of New York
7 and, in the counties of Nassau and Suffolk, the licensing officer shall
8 designate the place of filing in the appropriate division, bureau or
9 unit of the police department thereof, and in the county of Suffolk the
10 county clerk is hereby authorized to transfer all records or applica-
11 tions relating to firearms to the licensing authority of that county.
12 The name and address of any person to whom an application for any
13 license has been granted shall be [a public record] CONFIDENTIAL AND
14 SHALL NOT BE MADE AVAILABLE EXCEPT AS SET FORTH IN PARAGRAPH (B) OF THIS
15 SUBDIVISION. Upon application by a licensee who has changed his place
16 of residence such records or applications shall be transferred to the
17 appropriate officer at the licensee’s new place of residence. A dupli-
18 cate copy of such application shall be filed by the licensing officer in
19 the executive department, division of state police, Albany, within ten
20 days after issuance of the license. Nothing in this subdivision shall be
21 construed to change the expiration date or term of such licenses if
22 otherwise provided for in law.
23 (B) THE DIVISION OF STATE POLICE SHALL MAINTAIN AN AUTOMATED LISTING
24 OF EVERY LICENSE HOLDER ISSUED A LICENSE FOR A PISTOL OR REVOLVER PURSU-
25 ANT TO THIS SECTION. SUCH LISTING SHALL BE MADE AVAILABLE, UPON REQUEST,
26 PROVIDED, THAT:
27 (I) ONLY REQUESTS RELATING TO A NAMED LICENSEE SHALL BE HONORED OR
28 MADE AVAILABLE ONLINE; AND
EXPLANATION–Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05965-05-1
A. 9388 2
1 (II) A REQUEST FOR THE ENTIRE LIST OF LICENSEES, OR FOR ALL LICENSEES
2 IN A GEOGRAPHIC AREA, SHALL BE DENIED, EXCEPT TO ANY LAW ENFORCEMENT
3 AGENCY OR ANY ENTITY ACTING ON BEHALF OF OR PROVIDING SERVICES TO ANY
4 LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.
5 FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS SUBDIVISION, THE TERM “LAW ENFORCEMENT AGEN-
6 CY” SHALL MEAN THE DIVISION OF STATE POLICE, ANY NEW YORK STATE COUNTY
7 SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT, ANY POLICE DEPARTMENT OF ANY CITY, VILLAGE OR TOWN
8 WITHIN NEW YORK STATE, THE POLICE FORCE OF ANY NEW YORK STATE AUTHORITY
9 OR AGENCY, THE STATE POLICE FORCE OF ANY OTHER STATE, ANY FEDERAL LAW
10 ENFORCEMENT AGENCY AND ANY DISTRICT ATTORNEY OFFICE IN NEW YORK STATE.
11 S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
Thank you for sharing this law!