Fox News interviewed some former crooks who called the list of handgun permit holders published by the Journal News in New York a “gold mine” for criminals.
Reformed crooks say the New York newspaper that published a map of names and addresses of gun owners did a great service – to their old cronies in the burglary trade.
The information published online by the Journal-News, a daily paper serving the New York suburbs of Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties, could be highly useful to thieves in two ways, former burglars told FoxNews.com. Crooks looking to avoid getting shot now know which targets are soft and those who need weapons know where they can steal them.
“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. …
While the paper ostensibly sought to make a point about gun proliferation in the wake of the school shooting in Newtown, Conn., the effort backfired. A blogger reacted with a map showing where key editorial staffers live and some outraged groups have called for a boycott of parent company Gannett’s national advertisers. Ironically, the newspaper has now stationed armed guards outside at least one of its offices.
“They just created an opportunity for some crimes to be committed and I think it’s exceptionally stupid,” said Bob Portenier, 65, a former burglar and armed house robber turned crime prevention consultant.
Professional burglars are always looking for an edge, and like most folks, they read the paper, said Portenier. (Read More)
That’s not all. Officials in Putnam County, NY are refusing to comply with the paper’s Freedom of Information Act request, and are willing to go to court to defend their position. One official has said that stalkings of those whose names are on the Journal News‘s list have already begun.
“This one narcotics officer from Westchester County just retired. Dedicated his whole career to protecting the citizens of Westchester County and they can’t protect him now. He said I’ve never been so fearful for the safety of my family… This one lady whose been stalked for years in West Chester County. She finally found peace, two years without the stalker contacting her. Two days after that paper released her information she gets hangups all night long. She lives in fear, her and her three daughters.”
But that hasn’t stopped Connecticut lawmakers from trying to make gun owners’ information public. Maybe instead we should make public the names and addresses of criminals and people who are insane. That would make more sense, but then opportunistic politicians would have their home addresses easily accessed by the public.
What’s the over/under on how fast the Journal News goes out of business. The lawsuits should be piling in when someone suffers from their stupidity. I’m taking the under.
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[...] The Lonely Conservative [...]
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This is almost as priceless as Putin giving us advice !
again
if you want to see their agenda
google “daily kos how to ban guns step by step”
google “the economist gun control that works”
then you can
google “Xavier Crement”
to see what I think of them and their arguments.
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One view is that the educational system is to blame. But
my experience says that out-of-control IMMIGRATION is the real problem. It is not Vermont that is a “failed state” but rather New York City. Where would you rather grow up ? In Vermont, nothing happened. I move to ny suburbs – get beat up and some jerk takes a potshot at me with a bow and arrow. Then I move to Greenwich Village and what happens ? Held up at knifepoint, held up at gunpoint, every apartment was burglarized, one apt bldg set on fire, the mayhem of the 1977 blackout, not to mention the South Bronx looking like Dresden after the war. Clearly there was an exponential increase in the number of violent and disorderly events, the closer I got to NYC.
The Libs recite their ‘crime statistics’ – but I see perfectly well where the crime is, and it ain’t in Vermont or New England. It’s the Culture, stupid. But they think it is the NRA and the “gun culture” and campaign contributions and lobbyists getting in their way. They “out” anyone with a legal gun permit, but say nothing about gangs. They blame conservatives, but say nothing about the violence directly caused by the Left. A sociology prof made an off the cuff remark that turning over a quarter of the population of NYC was an obvious invitation to anarchy and mayhem. Maybe he should have had a “conversation” with the idiots at the NY Times about it. But their agenda is driven by something else. If you think they advocate disarming the clowns in the east village, you are not on their wavelength. They can try their pathetic arguments elsewhere. If these nitwits had any actual concern, they would compare those places where americans have their act together, and the places that are dysfunctional. Again – it’s the culture, stupid. And unlike Mayor Bloomberg, I do not live in a bubble. Oh, there are nice places in NYC, and it is all very wonderful to make that the image of NYC, but the reality behind the facade is a 12 year old jerk shooting up smack and doing burglaries while his mother was turning tricks on 8th ave.
And why do I say out-of-control immigration ? Because I remember NYC in the fifties and early sixties. And what was different from 1970 ? You got it: out-of-control immigration. It takes down schools. It takes down the health care system. Cops developed thousand yard stares. In fact, cops USED TO investigate burglaries. Today ? you gotta be kidding.
so – Donald Kaul of Alternet says he wrote a “satire” piece about repealing the 2nd amendment, confiscating all guns, declaring the NRA a terrorist organization, and dragging politicians behind a pickup truck. Then he wonders why he gets outraged emails. Well, frankly, my guess is that Alternet is run out of a crashpad in the east village, by a bunch of dope smoking jerks who like to read Noam Chomsky and watch Michael Moore movies while they have a wesson oil party. A bunch of degenerate reprobates.Their views of economics and politics fit that environment to a tee. So does Kaul’s moronic notion of “satire”.
And another thing – more than education is what the little brats see on TV – which is far more pervasive than anything they see in school. Just as cars had a huge impact on the culture – TV has way more of an impact.
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Someone should obtain the very same list of gun owners and compare it line per line with that which was posted. Dollars to donuts that there are omissions – deliberate removal of friends, high profile liberals and media/journalist types (same as high profile liberals!). The omitted persons should be identified and then pursued for interviews with a follow-up interview at the J-N editorial offices. That would be blatant and provable hypocrisy as it would also irrefutably demonstrate that the J-N knew enough about the risks of public disclosure to protect their own. Someone, please do this.
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