emtrescue6

http://www.lohud.com/article/2012122...raws-criticism

Here's the original article...

http://www.lohud.com/interactive/art...-neighborhood-

Pawildman

We all have been warned for a looong time that gun registration could someday lead to this. Well, here it is. Isn't it unbelievable what dirty, underhanded tricks these anti-gunners will pull. They have absolutely no respect for our personal rights to privacy, thanks to the freedom of public information thing. And why should that type of info be available to the general public anyhow? I understood that those records could be accessed by police agencies only. What a rotten dirty low-life trick.....

Topgun 3006

"lot of liability for the paper there, imagine the ramifications of just posting names and addresses, criminals could find ways to take advantage of that. would the paper be liable?"
RR

There is no liablitiy on the part of the newspaper if it's a public record under the FOIA that they used to obtain the information. If it was exempt from FOIA, which IMHO it should be, and they got hold of it and posted it, then they're in deep doodoo!

Jim Burns

Its B.S. anyway you look at it!!!! Does PETA have acsess to records of anyone that buys a hunting license? If you have a concealed permit you are obviously a law abiding citizen. Nothing like being treated like a criminal, especially after you have been approved through a FBI background check.

Nomercy448

This isn't anything new. I have heard that in at least one state, I forget which state it is, but I believe it starts with "I" (illinios, indiana, iowa...) has the requirement that all new approved permits get published in local news media.

Yes, the information that is legally obtainable under the freedom of information act (and many before it) is startling. I remember in the 90's that you could walk down to the DMV with a license plate number, OR a name, pay a $5 processing fee, and get the registration and property ownership information for the owner. At the time we used that service for a few different reasons.

Since your CC license is essentially an extension of your driver's license in many states, the information is held under the same rules.

Now, the skinny is this: The fact that I have a drivers license doesn't mean I have a car, how many, or what type. I only means I am licensed to drive one. Yes, the FOIA does provide that you can find out what cars someone owns, and how many tickets they have against their record, etc. Currently, the CCW licenses (and gun purchase permits/licenses) are like drivers licenses, that don't necessarily mean the number of firearms you own, or what kinds are public record.

Yes, indeed the newspaper would be made liable for reproducing that information publicly should that action be directly linked to illegal actions, or harassment. Just because something is public record, does not mean it is necessarily "public". If home values on my block went down because someone published that list, and it turns out that a lot of law-abiding gun owners (or potential owners rather) lived nearby, then I have proof that their action caused unnecessary damages to my property value. Will the lawsuit change anything? No, damage is done, but it might stop them from publishing the list again.

If there would be a string of break-ins at homes that were listed, with a focus on their firearms, the collective body of the victims would easily present a case against the newspaper for making this information readily available.

If a newspaper published a list of "what houses own Honda Civics or Mercede's benz's", they'd equally be just as liable for the targeted theft of those vehicles, even though this ownership list is also public record (don't know if it still is, but the Civic used to be overwhelmingly the highest theft rate vehicle in the US).

Nomercy448

I'm fairly certain that hunting licenses are public record as well, so yes, if they were so inclined, PETA could look up whoever they want that has a hunting license.

emtrescue6

I imagine that the liability comes in if and when someone uses the information posted to commit a crime, no? It's irresponsible at the very least to post such information. As someone else mentioned, just because the information is "public record" doesn't mean there is a public need to know...

Topgun 3006

Lots of stuff is able to be obtained from the various state departments without even going through FOIA because they are making money selling it! A good example is all the literature I get from Wyoming outfitters because they get the list of license applicants right from the Wyoming G&F!!! PETA could do the same thing because it's hard to hunt without a weapon of some sort and almost all of the licenses Wyoming issues are for rifle seasons.

Murdy

Depends how the paper got hold of it. If the paper didn't do anything illegal (i.e., the info was leaked by a government source), then there's no liability. The media can transmit any info (as long as its not false) it comes inot possession of -- that's free speech.