Posted on 03/13/2007 1:50:26 PM PDT by Agitate
Treating gun owners like sex offenders in the name of "sunshine" By Michelle Malkin · March 13, 2007 09:45 AM
Shame on the Roanoke Times.
Last Sunday, its columnist Christian Trejbal published an online database of registered concealed handgun permit holders in the New River Valley under the sanctimonious guise of "Sunshine Week:"
Today is the start of Sunshine Week, the annual week in which we reflect on the importance of open government and public records. To mark the occasion, I want to take you on an excursion into freedom of information land. We're going to find out who in the New River Valley has a concealed handgun permit. I can hear the shocked indignation of gun-toters already: It's nobody's business but mine if I want to pack heat.
Au contraire. Because the government handles the permitting, it is everyone's business.
There are good reasons the records are open to public scrutiny. People might like to know if their neighbors carry. Parents might like to know if a member of the car pool has a pistol in the glove box. Employers might like to know if employees are bringing weapons to the office.
And all Virginians have a stake in checking that their government is not making mistakes, for example, by issuing permits to convicted felons. Open records allow the media or any private citizen to check.
Trejbal denied that exposing concealed carry permit holders was "about being for or against guns." But he exposed his true agenda when he compared law-abiding gun owners to...sex offenders:
A state that eagerly puts sex offender data online complete with an interactive map could easily do the same with gun permits, but it does not...
(Excerpt) Read more at roanoke.com ...
They must tell you it is voluntary. This was just decided in United States District Court for Eastern District of Pennsylvania Stollenwerk vs. Jeffrey Miller, et. al. and the Pennsylvania State Police can no longer require a person give their SSN. Also, local sheriffs must issue and new permit that does not include the SSN if requested.
It all began when Mike Stollenwerk purchased a gun in PA and refused to give his SSN. He was denied and the some law enforcement people showed up at his home to check on him. He filed suit, lost in state court, but won the appeal in federal court. Contact me privately and I will email you the court documents.
Thanks for the tip. I just got it for myself, good read.
Here's a tip when googling decisions or getting them on FindLaw, they never use "vs." only "v."
roanoke.com: The Daily Pulse
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Shedding some light on concealed handguns
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Virginians should know who has concealed handgun permits. |
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There are plenty of reasons people choose to carry weapons: fear of a violent ex-lover, concern about criminals or worry that the king of England might try to get into your house.I guess he's saying that CCW holders might be nutters. But the author isn't taking sides? Right.
Full address, including ZIP, and yes you can get it on one of the mapping services, with directions.
Multiple phone numbers and email addresses.
Where he graduated from and when, and what degree (MA, philosophy).
Then he worked for the Bend Bulletin from 2001 until 7/05, then was unemployed until he started working for his current paper in 11/05.
For a few dollars at any one of many agencies I could have SSN, bank account numbers, etc.
"Being necessary for the free state, the right to keep and bear arms shall NOT be infringed..." Looks like everybody has one to me.
"It appears that the list included things like the home address of the Chief Justice of the VA State Supreme Court.
I imagine that is a legal issue for the paper."
That made them a lot of friends in high places.
I suspect it didn't, actually.
"Also, I do not believe that the state police have the right to maintain a database. They also do not have the right to require Social Security Nos. The SSN must be given voluntarily per federal law"
I agree, but let me tell you the way that the law is administered. You do not have to give your SSN, but if you do not, you will not receive a CCW. That is how they interpret "voluntary". The same system is in effect in Arizona. I complained about it 12 years ago, when we started. The response was, "It is for law enforcement use. If you don't give us your SSN, we will not give you the permit."
Who has the money for a test case?
"I suspect it didn't, actually."
Sorry, I should have put the "sarcasm" notification on.
So should I have.
Without a newspaper, I don't think I could train a puppy.
And what of all those naked fish leaving the market...
No, I suppose there will always be a place for the 'dead tree media', not that I regret that.
I just wish the writing/reporting was good enough that I regretted using the newspaper for those other jobs instead of reading it.
I imagine their 'legal issues' are just beginning.
One of those who wrote in their comments section thanked the columnist (sarcastically, I presume) for exposing them to Islamic Jihad and Hamas, who now have their home address if they used the database.
One of those whose names and addresses the paper published was one of the justices of the VA. State Supreme Court.
Like you said, their 'legal issues' are very likely just beginning....
Not yet.
Publius, I did a search on my last name and city before the web page was pulled. It provided my full name and street address.
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