Sandusky Register publishes names of CCP holders

[Tim James]

I thought newspapers were supposed to report the news, not crusade for open government. We'll take it from here, guys, thanks.

I know they are panicking and want to "bear witness" in their passive-aggressive way, but someone please inform them that the third way in this issue is to simply end licensing for weapons carry. No more secret permits.

Ah, screw it, just float the usual idea about publishing abortion records from the local county health clinic.

 

[tmajors]

CCW List has been pulled off the two articles and the front page. The original article has been re-written to say:

How many residents are licensed to carry concealed handguns?
(By county)
Erie — 1,071
Huron — 367
Sandusky — 329
Ottawa — 644
Seneca — 270

Instead of having links to the actual lists

Can still get to the direct lists via The Week in Review. Keep hammering them!

 

[fatelk]

It's no secret among people I know that I have a CHL, but neither is it common knowledge. I would be very upset if a local paper here published a list as I would feel that my privacy would be violated. It may be legal for them to do so, but it seems incredibly irresponsible and malicious.

I can imagine thousands of people in Ohio searching through that list finding names of acquantances and neighbors. I'm sure we all know ignorant folks who shiver at the sight of a GUN. How will this information affect your neighbors or co-workers when they see your name on the list? What about an employer who goes through the list and makes a list of their own? For me the permit is like the weapon itself; it's not a big secret, but nobody needs to know either.

The way I see it, papers that do this hide behind freedom of press, but it is really a very thinly veiled anti-gun activism of an exceptionally personal and malicious variety. I hope the good folks of Ohio contact the advertisers and make this thing backfire in a big way.

 

[maxsnafu]

Folks, as a previous poster said, "Contact the advertisers." A newspaper's
customers are NOT its readers; their customers are their ADVERTISERS.
Hit THEM in the pocketbook and I guarantee the newspaper will change its ways.

 

[Henry Bowman]

The way I see it, papers that do this hide behind freedom of press, but it is really a very thinly veiled anti-gun activism of an exceptionally personal and malicious variety.

Yep. If they really cared about "open records," they would at least occasionally choose to "out" some other group.

 

[Old Fuff]

How many residents are licensed to carry concealed handguns?
(By county)
Erie — 1,071
Huron — 367
Sandusky — 329
Ottawa — 644
Seneca — 270

If everyone on this list who happens to have a subscription up and cancels it - and tells they why - they'll notice.

The list totals 2,681.

 

[rino451]

Hmmm. Sounds like the paper is exercising its First Amendment rights. They are probably operating under the belief that Freedom of the Press is an absolute--like the Second Amendment. How dare they!

K

I want a working tank, then... 88mm or bigger.

 

[jselvy]

I want one too

Jefferson

 

[cngerms]

Michelle Malkin Fights for Ohio Gun Owners

http://michellemalkin.com/2007/06/26/the-msms-war-on-gun-owners/

The MSM’s war on gun owners
By Michelle Malkin • June 26, 2007 09:32 PM

I’ve reported before on the newspaper campaign against gun owners with concealed carry licenses. The war continues. The Buckeye Firearms Association sends word of another news outlet, the Sandusky Register, which has published a list of concealed handgun permit owners in Erie, Huron, Ottawa, Sandusky and Seneca counties in Ohio.

BFA reports a citizen revolt and backlash against the paper’s actions:

The fallout from this action has barely begun, but it will no doubt be far-reaching. Already, subscribers are blogging on the Register’s website about canceling subscriptions, and at least one local business, Windjammer Restaurant in Marblehead, has forced the Register to remove their paper machines from the premises because of this violation of privacy.
Read more.

Here’s the Sandusky Register’s list targeting law-abiding CHL owners.

Ohioans for Concealed Carry are also protesting:

Jeff Garvas, President of OFCC, is in contact with other gun rights organizations to enlist their support and assistance. The organized response will include a letter writing campaign and a directed effort to communicate with the ad sponsors of the Register in order to educate them about the despicable and dangerous practice of of “outing” people who have undergone training, passed a rigorous background check, been fingerprinted, and received a Concealed Handgun License from their county sheriff.

Mr. Garvas has released a statement saying,

“Sandusky Newspapers Inc. and The Sandusky Register should immediately demand the resignation of managing editor Matt Westerhold for his role in putting the lives, homes, and lawfully-owned firearms of countless citizens in Northwest Ohio at risk of violence or theft.”

“When newspaper management chooses to put a juicy headline controversy with no journalistic news worthy content ahead of the safety of the public, the only acceptable answer is to terminate their employment post haste.”

“Ohioans For Concealed Carry and its supporters intend to send that message to the owners of the paper by targeting advertisers and encouraging them to pull advertising until this dangerous course of action is reversed and an apology is made to those citizens whose privacy has already been violated by the paper”.

Spread the word.

 

[Jeff]

I keep wondering about the consequences when a CCW-holder's family gets killed by someone breaking into his house to steal his guns.

NO. You can't have it both ways. If guns make you more safe, then having that information made public cannot make you more of a target than the non-permit holder.

 

[wjustinen]

Jeff, I thought you got the picture from an earlier post, apparently not

NO. You can't have it both ways. If guns make you more safe, then having that information made public cannot make you more of a target than the non-permit holder

To use just one example:

If a woman who has done everything possible to hide from a dangerous ex takes the - unfortunately unusual - step of obtaining a CHL, all of her efforts are destroyed by publishing this list. The woman without the CHL still has anonimity going for her.

A handgun isn't a magic wand, it merely gives one a fighting chance.

 

[precisionshootist]

Lets use this freedom to publish the names and home addresses and phone numbers of their reporters and editors.

Don't forget to print up little leaflets with this info and distribute the leaflets in known high crime areas.

 

[Jeff]

wjustinen,

I don't buy it.

The controversy surrounding the issue of concealed carry and whether that makes someone safer or not, concerns whether one has means to a firearm on his or her person-- not whether someone can be "found" or not.

I understand no one is "safer" from the initiation of an attack, if one is a permit holder walking the streets (since no one knows if they are carrying or not). However, it does help to carry a handgun once one is attacked.

It stands to reason by logic, that someone in their own home, who has been publicly "outed" as being a permit holder, is ever more safe, because they have the benefit of public knowledge of being a gun owner/holder, yet they have no advantage of anonymity over the above street walker.

Your position is an illogical fallacy.


Edited to add: I still agree with many of the reasons stated earlier why this was poor behavior on the newspaper's part.

 

[Michigander]

It would be a great day in history when it would be a shorter list to list people who were not CPL holders.

 

[Linda]

We posted this article on our website last night. This is only the start of a series of articles. Life is going to get very uncomfortable for Mr. Matt Westerhold over the course of the next several days/weeks.

http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/article3819.html

 

[JWarren]

wjustinen wrote:

If a woman who has done everything possible to hide from a dangerous ex takes the - unfortunately unusual - step of obtaining a CHL, all of her efforts are destroyed by publishing this list. The woman without the CHL still has anonimity going for her.

Jeff wrote:

I don't buy it.

The controversy surrounding the issue of concealed carry and whether that makes someone safer or not, concerns whether one has means to a firearm on his or her person-- not whether someone can be "found" or not.

Jeff,

No offense, but I don't think you are buying wjustinen's comment because it isn't the argument you want to debate.

The reality of this issue is that it contains a NUMBER of issues. It is not for you or me to negate as invalid the ones that aren't on your radar at the moment. There are people who read this and immediately see concerns that may not be concerns for you.

It does not negate the fact that publishing this list in REALITY achieved results far beyond the scope of your concerns. Forget academic arguements. Forget theoretical implications. If someone is materially harmed due to passing information to perpetratiors via this outing, harm in FACT has been done.

I know a number of people who have taken extraordinary methods to conceal thier whereabouts from specific people who want to harm them. These same people are often ones who are inclined to obtain CCW's for protection from the said threat.

Typically, these persons have gone to the police regarding their issue and told that there is nothing they can do. Therefore it is necessary to do everything humanly possible to protect themselves when the law is impotent to do so.

Thanks to the efforts of newspapers like this, those efforts are destroyed.


This isn't some theoretical argument I am making. My wife was raped. The rapist got off due to bad evidence. He still lives in her home city, not too far away. Until she and I married and she lived in constant fear of this man.

I would be VERY upset if a newspaper revealed her address to this man. I consider it irresponsible, unethical, and possibly liable.


-- John

 

[Tim James]

However, it does help to carry a handgun once one is attacked. It stands to reason by logic, that someone in their own home, who has been publicly "outed" as being a permit holder, is ever more safe, because they have the benefit of public knowledge of being a gun owner/holder, yet they have no advantage of anonymity over the above street walker. Your position is an illogical fallacy.

Is someone trying to apply logic to the criminal mind? Mental masturbation over the Internet has reached a new level!

You said that someone is even more safe with public knowledge of one's gun ownership, but Silver Bullet was addressing the safety of a family, which may not be trained in the use of firearms while the gun owner is away. I seroiusly doubt anyone is suggesting that having a piece of metal in the house instantly makes the entire family safer.

I had more to say for the scenario of a gun owner without a family, but I really don't care to engage in some sort of logic debate on the Internet about guns. I empathize with your attempts to increase consistency in the gun community. Sometimes I think we use different arguments, which may seem contradictory at times, for expediency. For example, we argue that AWBs are useless because criminals use handguns for violence, but then turn around and say regulation on cheap pistols is bad because poor people have a right to self-defense too. If we had time to sit down and explain every nuance, I think we would be more consistent, but since our heart is in the right place, please let us slide on a few things.

 

[RioShooter]

If guns make you more safe, then having that information made public cannot make you more of a target than the non-permit holder.

Yes it can, if a burglar is looking for guns. Rather than being a victim of a random crime, you can now be selected. Your odds of being a victim just increased because of publicly disclosed information.

 

[Linda]

http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/article3821.html

Just posted on Buckeye Firearms website!

Mr. Matt Westerhold had the gull to publish an article today about the problem with sex offenders, when in fact, he has employee(s) who are rapists. The particular said rapist, delivers the newspapers to the doorsteps of people whom have children. The offices of the Sandusky Register appears to be within 1000' of multiple schools.

All learned of course, thru public records. Mr. Westerhold chose not to respond to our email requests, so it is our duty to make sure people know he has a rapist employee working for him, because of our access to public records.

Just say NO to the Sandusky Register.

 

[Tim James]

You guys do realize that they feed on this kind of stuff, right? A liberal's greatest goal in life is to bear witness to perceived wrongs, and trying to "silence" them only makes them feel more justified. Everything is a battle against powerful interests to them.

On a side note, this is the logical thought process that cause liberal media to think that they have a "right" to publish whatever they want and not have to suffer the monetary consequences. Maybe this attitude worked in the Deep South in the 60s when ignorant people needed to be shocked out of their racism, but today's saturated world doesn't really need more bleating and self-righteousness.

 

[Tim James]

I didn't read the article until now, but it looks like the lists are back in the article.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The decision to make the lists available to readers was made by the Register's managing editor. All inquiries should be directed to 419-609-5866 or [email protected]

Hehe..

 

[Mongo the Mutterer]

You guys do realize that they feed on this kind of stuff, right? A liberal's greatest goal in life is to bear witness to perceived wrongs, and trying to "silence" them only makes them feel more justified. Everything is a battle against powerful interests to them.

Who cares? The only thing I have against liberals is their dishonesty, their creeping incremental programs which would inspire disgust if known in full to the populace, their condescending attitudes, their (for the most part) physical ugliness, their birkenstocks, their mullets, their patchouli, their pompously promoting "political correctness" while enslaving generations with their idiotic social programs, their "feel good" idiocies like global warming (which casts "non-believers" in scornful tones), their almost complete control of the Socialist Mainstream Media, their "low volume" toilets, their "Carbon Credits", their "apologies for slavery" (one of my Great Grandfathers was a slave holder, the other one was not... they can have my half assed apology anytime they wish), their Affirmative Action programs, their tendency to take more stock in focus group reaction to the "name" of their program (to cover its vile intent)...and more

oh, and finally, their using some of my air...

 

[Linda]

http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/article3823.html

Round 3 to the lastest article we have posted on Buckeye Firearms website about Matt Westerhold.

It is absolutely amazing/chilling how much info can be learned about someone, just from public records.

Enjoy!

 

[tmajors]

Bloody hell Linda. All you started with was a name and State of resisdence. That is some scary juju. And Matt went and published 2681 of them.

 

[Mike128]

That just made my jaw drop at what you can find out. I'm going to keep that on my computer since it is such a wonderful piece of detective work. Someone should send that in as a letter to the editor.