Newspaper Takes Down Map of Gun Owners

Jan 18, 2013 7:55pm

Newspaper Takes Down Map of Gun Owners

The New York newspaper that published a map with the names and addresses of anyone who owned a gun permit in its coverage area has now taken the map down after a public outcry.

In an open letter published today in the Journal News, which covers Westchester, Putnam, and Rockland Counties, publisher Janet Hasson stood by the paper’s decision to publish the map but said they had to take it down to comply newly-passed legislation.

“So intense was the opposition to our publication of the names and addresses that legislation passed earlier this week in Albany included a provision allowing permit holders to request confidentiality and imposing a 120-day moratorium on the release of permit holder data,” Hasson wrote.

The paper received thousands of complaints from readers in its area as well as individuals from around the country. It also received threats and hired armed guards to protect the newspaper’s headquarters and its employees.

In the letter, Hasson explained that the editorial staff posted the map in reaction to the school shootings in Newtown, Conn., and that they still believed “the community should know where gun permit holders in their community were.”

The map was posted on the newspaper’s website for 27 days. A snapshot of the map will remain on the website, Hasson wrote.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2013/01/newspaper-takes-down-map-of-gun-owners/