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Look at all the guns!
Right after Christmas this year, a Connecticut newspaper, The Journal News, published the names and address of handgun permit holders in the area by using an interactive map. The newspaper explained it as a public service.
As you can imagine, this caused quite a stir. Many people object to having their name splashed across the internet...let alone their address. Bill Grueskin of Columbian Universities journalism school even suggested that gun owners were being made to look like sex offenders and that "they (gun owners) felt they were being branded with a scarlet G".
It was also pointed out by many that the media had just "outed" the people in the neighborhoods with NO guns making them easy targets for burglaries.
Now, I am no gun lover. I have always been pro gun control and I do not own a gun...no, you may not have my address :) In the wake of the tragic shooting in Connecticut last month, some even suggested arming teachers and training them in weapons. Really? Really? Do you want to see Mrs. Hake armed with a weapon? Yeah...I didn't think so. I guess you might be surprised, then, to find out that I do not believe these statistics should be published. What good can come of it? How can it help? I have always operated with this question in mind: "do the benefits outweigh the risks?". In this case there are just too many risks and not enough benefit. This information as made public produces too many "visceral" reactions. Burglers dont just target houses with "no" guns...maybe it is "guns" they really want. What about police detectives in the neighborhood who have used those guns to put away the bad guys? Will they become targets now? Publishing the names and addresses of gun owners does not help the overall problem of gun violence in our society. While I do believe that gun ownership statistics must be compiled, I see no benefit to publishing this information. Do you think it is ethical for newspapers to print this information? Maybe watch this video clip to help you make up your mind. |
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
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The publication of these gun owners' personal information, especially in a state newspaper, was completely unnecessary and innappropriate. Regardless of my own views on the gun control issue, which are distinct, there is absolutely no valid reason to give out these people's information to the general public, especially when the information given could attract crime. Nothing good could possibly come from putting all of these statistics in a newspaper.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is okay to own guns if they are for hunting or a handgun at gas stations or something. I don't really see why anyone would need an assault rifle. I think it was very wrong of that newspaper to publish the names and addresses of everyone who does and doesn't own a gun. It is okay to publish statistics on gun ownership but I don't see any benefits of publishing names or addresses. It was just an awful decision on the newspaper's part. Just becasue they have the right to publish it DOES NOT mean that they should have.
ReplyDeleteGun violence in America is getting out of hand. I can see why this Connecticut Paper, The Journal News, posted this information. They were angry about the gun violence but they are taking things too far. People have a constitutional right to own guns and people shouldn't infringe upon others' rights. The names and addresses of those who own guns should remain hidden and unknown.Gun owners should have to be registered but not known to the public. This publishing is as if the newspaper published the names and addresses of people who own home security.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you completely. The fact that the newspaper published the names of gun owners is apalling. Owning a gun is a fundamental right that we as Americans have had since our country was created. This right should not be treated as a crime that the public should be alerted of. As you said, this also creates a safety issue for the people whose names are in the report. This is just as if the newspaper published the names of all those who have home security systems. Meticulous records of gun owners should be kept, but not released to the public. I think the newspaper that published this should take down the list and issue an apology to those affected by the article.
ReplyDeleteI feel that this is completely unethical and unsafe. Whether a person owns a gun or not and why they would is their personal business. The Journal News is completely out of line by releasing people’s personal information all over the internet. I’ve never really been against gun ownership, although I have been against the types of guns people own. There is absolutely no reason a citizen should own any type of assault rifle or any other sort of US Army weapon. There is simply no need. You do not go hunting with these types of weapons. It’s absurd. Handguns are all you would need to protect yourself. Other guns have no reason (excluding hunting rifles) to exist other than killing people. The purchase of these weapons should be illegal. It would take some time to clean up but still. I agree, I’d be very concerned with burglary and the home break-in rate going way up in this area now. Thieves now know additional information on the person they’d be attempting to rob. Most certainly the benefits do not outweigh the risks. But there are other risks to be concerned about too besides mass shootings. It could be to protect yourself and your family. I feel bad for these people who own the guns. This is something they do for sex offenders, not gun owners. Shame on The Journal News.
ReplyDeleteIn 2013 alone, (this month) I have had to speak on "gun control" and "assault weapons" three times with speech and debate. There are a lot of really interesting arguement perspectives one can take on the issue. It seems that after every incident like Newtown, Aurora, or Stockton people undergo a spike of anger at gun owners and calls for reform. While these aren't misplaced feelings, often people speak up and out for skewed reasons. However, it looks like this time something will actually be done. Many people are holding onto the want for reform, and the Obama administration has to produce a set of gun control proposals by the end of the month. President Obama has also been quoted saying. "this office (the presidency) will do everything in its power" to get at least one of these reform provisions passed. So wehter or not these docyuments should be publicly displayed, the changes are coming.
ReplyDeleteI can sympathize with the editor's of The Journal News stance towards gun control because of the recent events in Conneticut but what they did was unnecessary and quite frankly immature. They are portaying that all people who own guns are prone to commit heinous crimes. By publishing these peoples names what are they accomplishing? Nothing really.If anything this may cause more problems because some people may take this to extremes and cause more violence by harming the gun owners who's address was published.Unless that was the point of this publication,in which the editors are just corrupt and spiteful.
ReplyDeleteThe topic of gun control is tearing this nation apart. Some think that guns should be completely illegal and some think that there should be no such thing as gun control. I'm not sure what the solution to this problem is but publishing that kind of information in a newspaper is definitely not it. How childish and juvenile of those newspaper editors to think that making gun owner's addresses public will solve the control problem. Not only will this not solve the problem, but it will encourage more violence towards gun owners, which is the very problem we are trying to eradicate. I hope that these newspaper publishers realize what they have done is wrong and immature.
ReplyDeleteGun control is a touchy topic. I won't go into my own political views,but I will say that no matter what a person or corporation believes they do not have the right to endanger others. This mars the public's opinion of individuals, puts them at risk to public criticism and attacks, both verbal and physical, and ,ah even result in the loss of jobs or status.
ReplyDeleteThe problem isn't the guns. And often times, the problem isn't the individuals who abuse guns. Most often, these people are mentally unstable, but no one cares enough to stand up and try to get them help. Fighting over gun control won't help. We need to insist on funding care for these people. Our leaders target gun owners while they continue to cut funding for drug abuse centers, rehabilitation facilities,and aid for mentally handicapped individuals. Firearm vendors take advantage of these people just to make a few bucks. The problem isn't the guns and their owners.
Another point, I understand the outrage of the Newtown shooting, but why does it take 27 deaths to get our attention and outrage? People are killed daily in car crashes, and they are usually innocent travelers who crossed paths with a drunk or distracted driver. Where is the outrage here? There are far more deaths as a result of drunk or distracted driving than those caused by gun violence. Have these homicides become so frequent that we have now accepted them as a part of society, to the point where they have no effect on us, cause no stir, and are dismissed without a thought? What about those mothers who lose someone, ironically usually the mothers of the innocent? Is their loss less than those of victims of the Newtoen tragedy simply because there are more members of this tragic group? God bless America and help us through these times of crisis