If LTC's were public record in MA and a newspaper published your name

[News Shooter]

Would that really upset you?

The folks in Virginia are really getting bent out of shape over some pissant newspaper publishing names.

I'm not sure how I feel about it, but I don't think I'd lose any sleep over it.

 

[Chris]

For me, I doubt it would be all that big a deal. Google my name and all kinds of gun stuff comes up.

However, for someone who is trying to maintain a low profile, I can see it being an issue.

 

[drgrant]

It would piss me off because it essentially makes public a bunch of information
that people don't need to know.

Also, it''s yet another way of demonizing gun ownership... the state doesn't
publish the names and addresses of everyone who has a drivers license in a
given state, so why should it be any different with a gun license? At least
if this kind of information is going to be public, then the government should
be consistent about it.

Given the way this state treats gun owners though I'm surprised the state
doesn't have a site with a search engine all set up.

-Mike

 

[EZEKIEL 25:17]

I would see that as an increased potential for crime and would hope the papers would be smart enough to avoid that. Now every ciminal who can read knows you likely have firearms, so how hard would it be to stake your location figure out your habbits and break in and steal them when you are not there?

Without that aspect, I could really care less if folks know I had an LTC.

 

[Admin]

I wouldn't like it. All you have to do is case my place for a few days and you know my work hours. Not easy to break in and steal a bunch of firearms, locked safe or no locked safe, it's not that hard...

 

[Lugnut]

I'd be really pissed. How would the a**h*** newpaper folks like to see their private things published? Medical conditions, marital status, employment records, etc. Some things should be private.


Yes, that would completely piss me off! Unless I disclose it, I don't want people knowing what I have in MY house!

 

[News Shooter]

That's interesting

I'd be really pissed. How would the a**h*** newpaper folks like to see their private things published? Medical conditions, marital status, employment records, etc. Some things should be private.


Yes, that would completely piss me off! Unless I disclose it, I don't want people knowing what I have in MY house!

Because that is exactly what the VA gun owners are doing. They are publishing the name and address of the editor's home from the real estate rolls. That's why I asked the question. I'm sure it makes them feel better though.

This kind of thing has been going on for years and I don't recall ever hearing of a documented case where a bad guy read an address in the paper and did a burglary to get the guns. Has anyone else heard of one? I think it is urban myth like most things about guns

 

[Lugnut]

This kind of thing has been going on for years and I don't recall ever hearing of a documented case where a bad guy read an address in the paper and did a burglary to get the guns. Has anyone else heard of one? I think it is urban myth like most things about guns

Post your address first then. I'd like to remain anonymous.

MA can't even document/nor find out where the guns used in a crime originate from, do you think they could track this? Doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

 

[drgrant]

Because that is exactly what the VA gun owners are doing. They are publishing the name and address of the editor's home from the real estate rolls. That's why I asked the question. I'm sure it makes them feel better though.

While the response sounds childish, it certainly is suitable given the
circumstances. (After all, if they won't respect a group of citizens
privacy, why the hell should we respect theirs?) Although I would be
more apt to blame the state for allowing that info to be "public record"
to begin with, but the paper is equally culpable in publishing it.

This kind of thing has been going on for years and I don't recall ever hearing of a documented case where a bad guy read an address in the paper and did a burglary to get the guns. Has anyone else heard of one? I think it is urban myth like most things about guns

Well, people are using the public exposure of lottery winners in NH to try
to exploit them, so I don't see why this would be any different. Even if
it never does happen, there is plenty of other things that can be done
with that information, such as using it as witch hunt initiator for
anti-gun employers. The whole idea is dumb, it's that simple.

-Mike

 

[OnTheRoad]

Publish the addresses of sex offenders. That at least serves some sort of public service.

There's no need to publish the addresses of gun owners. I cringe sometimes when I see people posting a complete inventory of every gun and quantity of ammo they own online for the world to see, can't help the feeling that someone, somewhere is writing all this stuff down...

 

[FITH]

Good point...yet lets think outside the box!
Now you know who DOESN'T have a gun..go rob then whenever because they can't defend themselves!!!!

I would see that as an increased potential for crime and would hope the papers would be smart enough to avoid that. Now every ciminal who can read knows you likely have firearms, so how hard would it be to stake your location figure out your habbits and break in and steal them when you are not there?

Without that aspect, I could really care less if folks know I had an LTC.

 

[FITH]

i don't know of it happening with guns...but BG do read the death page and break in to empty house!!!!

Because that is exactly what the VA gun owners are doing. They are publishing the name and address of the editor's home from the real estate rolls. That's why I asked the question. I'm sure it makes them feel better though.

This kind of thing has been going on for years and I don't recall ever hearing of a documented case where a bad guy read an address in the paper and did a burglary to get the guns. Has anyone else heard of one? I think it is urban myth like most things about guns

 

[Lynne]

i don't know of it happening with guns...but BG do read the death page and break in to empty house!!!!

Yup, or the family when they're at the wake/funeral.

 

[Coyote33]

Publish the addresses of sex offenders. That at least serves some sort of public service.

They already do:

Level 2 and 3 Sex Offender totals by Town

Family Watchdog: National Sex Offender Registry

 

[JonJ]

Let them post the list of welfare recipients so we can see where our money is going.

 

[Lynne]

Let them post the list of welfare recipients so we can see where our money is going.

+1

 

[ICZEOZN]

Let them post the list of welfare recipients so we can see where our money is going.

You beat me to it.

 

[Len-2A Training]

The Boston Glob already sued to get the list for publication. A law (MA) was passed back in the 1980s (IIRC) protecting this info as "private" and not for public release.

 

[dwarven1]

This kind of thing has been going on for years and I don't recall ever hearing of a documented case where a bad guy read an address in the paper and did a burglary to get the guns. Has anyone else heard of one? I think it is urban myth like most things about guns

i don't know of it happening with guns...but BG do read the death page and break in to empty house!!!!

Absolutely - you will see that many obituaries do NOT list the time of the services nowadays. OR they leave some people at the house while the family is burying their loved one to prevent this very thing.

Personally, I find it disgusting - only the lowest form of pond scum would victimize someone already grieving. Although that comparision may not be fair to pond scum.

 

[LoginName]

Absolutely - you will see that many obituaries do NOT list the time of the services nowadays. OR they leave some people at the house while the family is burying their loved one to prevent this very thing.

Personally, I find it disgusting - only the lowest form of pond scum would victimize someone already grieving. Although that comparision may not be fair to pond scum.

From a Seinfeld episode...

I forget who it was that scanned the obits as a way of finding apartment vacancies.

I don't know if that's low or just creative thinking.

 

[Jose]

As of 3/14/07, that info is withheld from the press in Ohio.

 

[MaverickNH]

Would that really upset you?

Remember, the INTENTION is to harrass and intimidate those who have a CCW permit. The inference is that CCW permit holders are a danger to society and the desired impact is to inhibit CCW applicants by shining the bright lights of "media exposure" on their actions.

Most people figure that if you are on a published list, you are either being honored or vilified.

I would much rather see newpapers (or state governments) publish the CCW rates in each issueing agency or community as public data. This could be construed as public data. But it doesn't serve the anti-gun media agenda, so they are not likley to go out of their way to get the data by FOI request.

The gun data that the anti-gun mayors use to pitch their case are usually held confidentially by LE agencies, so that we can't pick through them to expose the misleading statistics presented. Now THESE are the data that need to get published, so we can all see the truth. But when the stats show that some LEO trade-in guns cycle back into the system as "crime guns", we know they don't want that getting out. (BTW - nothing special about LE guns re-appearing as "crime guns", other than 100s/1000s of used and cheap guns flooding the market when issued models are changed - just the law of mass action in supply/demand operating).

 

[Thor67]

My wife would be really distraught over it. In fact, I'm sure that she would need years of counciling to overcome the mental trauma and anguish. We're folks of modest means, so someone (AKA the newspaper) would have to pay for it.

 

[Prepper]

Bad guys can already find out all the registered guns you own, simply by going to one of those "search" web sites that give criminal background checks for a fee of $50. I know because a bad guy did this to me and proudly sent me an email containing the list of guns that I have. Needless to say, I was not happy! Oddly, the list was missing two of the guns even though they were also bought at the same stores as the others, so they have inaccuracies too. And the list included one that I had sold.

 

[Len-2A Training]

Prepper,

If you know which info service gave this info to the bg, or any details of the source of the info, please let me know and I will see that some folks inside the "system" are made aware of it so that they can take steps to perhaps plug the holes in the lack of confidentiality.

Please Email me directly off this message (PMs are turned off) and put NES in the subject line so I'll know it's not Spam.

Thanks.

 

[matt]

What do the newpapers give as thier motivation for publishing such a list?

The only concievable reason is to say "these people are evil" as though we were sex offenders. No public service is rendered by the publishing, at least that I can concieve of...

To the origonal question: I'd be pissed off.

 

[sksguns]

It's counter productive to all they boast about keeping guns from the hands of criminals. If they don't want criminals to know where the can obtain guns illegally then why would they post a list of where all the guns are that can be stolen.

They are just setting the stage for more break-ins and as a result there will be a significant increase in criminal deaths during the attempted robberies. Is that what they really want?

And if the houses are cased and the BG actually gets away with the firearms they will proably press charges agains the home/gun owner.

This won't be good but a lot more bad guys will be dead. maybe that's what they want since they can't stop the criminals anyway.

 

[Prepper]

LenS,

I don't know which site it was, but I'm going to take a guess that all of the search sites could provide the info (intelius, ussearch, etc.). Gun records for MA end up in the "criminal records" database along with the usual info associated with criminals such as what they've been convicted of. As if legally owning a gun is somehow "criminal" (those anti-gunners really like to stick it to us every way they can). Anyway, as far as I know, every search site just calls up that same database for the search typically called "criminal background check".

I've been meaning to "search" myself one of these days just so I can see what the list looks like myself, but I haven't been wanting to pay the $50. I'll think about it.

 

[Weerd Beard]

I wouldn't like it. All you have to do is case my place for a few days and you know my work hours. Not easy to break in and steal a bunch of firearms, locked safe or no locked safe, it's not that hard...

+1 to that! My guns are probably the most valuble things we have here, when you factor "Street Value".

I mean if you are a convicted felon with a rap sheet a mile long, it wouldn't be outlandish to buy a "hot" gun at a super-high markup.

But you can just walk into Best Buy and get my Sterio for a reasonable price brand new, you'd need to mark it wayy down to sell it "hot".

So I'd be DAMNED pissed if my name was published as a gun owner, as any house that has one gun often has MANY guns, and you can't CCW them all.

Arrrr

-Weer'd Beard

 

[Twigg]

The folks in Virginia from another forum are publishing the personal information (Names, addresses, phone #, description of homes, ect...) of the pubilshers and editors of newspapers who have published the names & addresses of licensed firearms owners.

I say turnabout is fair play.