Ohio newspaper outs concealed weapon license holders

[error]

You'd think they would have learned their lesson from what happened in Roanoke, but I guess not.

http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/article3816.html

In spite of many state legislators, county sheriffs and even Governor Strickland himself attempting to talk sense into him, Sandusky Register Editor Matt Westerhold has launched an all-out assault on the privacy and security of over 2,600 concealed handgun license holders in several Northern Ohio counties.

The offending article compromises the safety of 2,600 license holders in five Ohio counties. In an editorial they claim the public has a right to know.

Contact information for the perpetrators:

Matt Westerhold, Managing Editor
419-609-5866
mattwesterhold@sanduskyregister.com

Doug Phares, Publisher
419-609-5860
dougphares@sanduskyregister.com

[KBCraig]

An even better story on this:

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

[error]

Ah yes, I missed that.

[LiveFree]

Just one more among the plethora of reasons you shouldn't need to lick the government's boots and beg their permission to exercise a CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT!!!

[error]

Just one more among the plethora of reasons you shouldn't need to lick the government's boots and beg their permission to exercise a CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT!!!

My right to keep and bear arms does not originate with the Constitution!

[LiveFree]

Just one more among the plethora of reasons you shouldn't need to lick the government's boots and beg their permission to exercise a CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT!!!

My right to keep and bear arms does not originate with the Constitution!

Well, the Constitution should at least deter the types of bastards typically associated with gooberment from trying to infringe on this inherent right.  Note I said SHOULD.  The bastards ignore their own laws whenever it suits them, and make up laws as they go too.

[Puke]

The Constitution tells the government that they are supposed to protect the right of people to defend themselves with the weapons they see fit to wield.

[David]

I remember the privilege of papers knowing this info was a political battle at one time.   

[Revmar]

Don't forget, the constitution was created to limit the scope of the federal government by the federal government.   

Gee, I wonder why it's full of loop holes. 

[error]

More on this story:

Ohio Newspaper Under Fire for Outing Gun Owners
By Nathan Burchfiel
CNSNews.com Staff Writer
July 05, 2007

(CNSNews.com) - An Ohio newspaper's decision to publish the non-public records of concealed carry permit holders drew a strong response, and one gun rights advocacy group published personal but public information about the newspaper's editor.

The Sandusky Register on June 24 published the names, ages and home counties of the almost 2,700 concealed carry permit holders in its circulation area. Ohio gun laws restrict public access to concealed carry records but allow the media to access them.

The printing of the names sparked outrage from gun rights groups, including the Ohioans for Concealed Carry and the National Rifle Association. Critics argue that publishing names and identifying information about concealed carry permit holders puts them at risk being targeted for violence or identity theft.

"Now, someone who has a grudge has a list of targets/victims, and the only reason they have a list of targets/victims is because of the newspaper's unilateral action," the Buckeye Firearms Association said on its website.

BFA Legislative Chair Ken Hanson wrote that because of the newspaper's actions, "The general public may now know who owns and may or may not carry a gun. Additionally, the general public now knows who is not carrying a gun in their day to day activities."

In retaliation - and to illustrate the ease of finding personal information when given a name - the BFA began printing personal information about Sandusky Register Managing Editor Matt Westerhold. The information, while personal, is available through public records searches.

On its website, the group has printed Westerhold's phone numbers, automobile records, traffic ticket record, the address of a home he owns and information about the mortgage on the property. It has also printed redacted information on his birth date and Social Security number.

Cybercast News Service has independently verified most of the information through online public records searches, including his birth date, partial Social Security number, property holdings, and mortgage information.

The group defends its actions by saying that Westerhold, by approving the publication of the names and information about gun owners, is putting them at risk for the same kind of "this type of stalking/abuse."

Westerhold did not respond to phone calls and e-mails from Cybercast News Service requesting comment for this article.

In a commentary defending the publication decision, Westerhold acknowledged that the concealed carry permit holders are "law-abiding and upstanding" but said the decision to print their names was a "public service to readers who want to know who among them has been licensed to carry concealed weapons."

"They should be proud to be exercising their second amendment rights, and I believe most of them aren't as enraged with the Register's decision to exercise its first amendment rights in publishing the information as is the NRA, which demands secrecy," Westerhold wrote.

Ohioans for Concealed Carry President Jeff Garvas issued a statement criticizing the Register for choosing "to put a juicy headline controversy with no journalistic newsworthy content ahead of the safety of the public." He called for Westerhold's resignation and encouraged members to target advertisers to encourage them to abandon the paper.

A similar controversy erupted in Virginia in March. As Cybercast News Service previously reported, the Roanoke Times retracted its online database of Virginia concealed carry permit holders after a backlash from gun rights advocates revealed that some of the information was inaccurate and some of it shouldn't have been released.

[Dave Ridley]

i left messages on the perps' phones a week or so ago stressing the issue of women who had stalkers and wondering if their addies were published.

[Rochelle]

Don't forget, the constitution was created to limit the scope of the federal government by the federal government.   duh

Gee, I wonder why it's full of loop holes.

Well, it's not full of loopholes per se. The problem is that it completely fails to work when the president, the House, the Senate, the Courts AND the people are all for bigger government. It's self-enforcing among all 5 groups. Right now, all 5 groups are pro-government...or at least, pro a bigger government than the constitution allows.

Error is completely right to say that he has the right to own guns regardless of whether or not the constitution is there saying he does. I get in arguments on other forums a lot with people who assert that I don't have a right because it's not in the constitution or I don't have the right to free speech in other countries. Of course I do! There are certain rights that I have simply because I'm a human being. The difference is whether or not my government will through me in prison for exercising them or not.

[Dreepa]

I guess this is proof that 'Alaska carry'  should be the standard so that there is no list.

[KurtDaBear]

Ohioans for Concealed Carry President Jeff Garvas issued a statement criticizing the Register for choosing "to put a juicy headline controversy with no journalistic newsworthy content ahead of the safety of the public." He called for Westerhold's resignation and encouraged members to target advertisers to encourage them to abandon the paper.

If they get the ad boycott going, he may not have to resign--he may be fired.  I unintentionally started an ad boycott while working as editorial editor at one of the Register's sister papers (The Kingsport (TN) Times-News) 25 years ago.  The publisher immediately fired me, reasoning that he could save a lot of money by writing tame editorials himself since I was the 2nd highest paid editorial employee and appease the boycotters at the same time.  Ironically, he was fired about a month later.  That group was strictly a checkbook journalism operation.