About a month ago, the Journal-News, a daily paper serving the New York suburbs of Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties, published a map of names and addresses of gun owners.
Fox News reported today on some of the fallout from the decision to publish that information.
The article reports:
“That was the most asinine article I’ve ever seen,” said Walter T. Shaw, 65, a former burglar and jewel thief who the FBI blames for more than 3,000 break-ins that netted some $70 million in the 1960s and 1970s. “Having a list of who has a gun is like gold – why rob that house when you can hit the one next door, where there are no guns?
“What they did was insanity,” added Shaw, author of “License to Steal,” a book about his criminal career.
Another criminal, Frank Abagnale, who was portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio in the 2002 film “Catch Me if You Can,” also weighed in.
The article reports:
“It is unbelievable that a newspaper or so called journalist would publish the names and addresses of legal gun owners, including federal agents, law enforcement officers and the like,” said Abagnale, who noted that he grew up in the suburban New York area served by the Journal-News. “This would be equivalent to publishing the names of individuals who keep substantial sums of money, jewelry and valuables in their home.”
There is a former policemen in my extended family. I suspect he was responsible for putting one or two people in jail. It is quite possible that some of those people have long memories and hold grudges. He owns a number of guns. Publishing his name and address in a newspaper would put him and his family in danger. What were the editors of this paper thinking?
