New York

#tellusatoday: Right to publish gun permit information?

We asked readers on Twitter what they thought about publishing the addresses of gun permit holders, which The Journal News in Westchester County, N.Y., did recently. (The Journal News is owned by Gannett Co., parent of USA TODAY.) Comments are edited for clarity and grammar:

This map shows pistol permits registered with the Westchester County Clerk's Office. Residents are required to renew the permit every five years. Zoom in and out for more information and click on a dot to see details of a permit. [Via MerlinFTP Drop]

It's an invasion of privacy, and I support stronger gun control.

— @BrianSureck

It's ridiculous. Let's publish the name of everybody who utilizes the First Amendment, too.

— @CatenHyde

By disclosing those addresses, all the paper has done is provide a "useful" road map for the mentally ill to steal guns.

— @JamesJRiordan

Criminals have an interactive map of homes with firearms. All they need is a car and a smartphone to steal guns.

— @K3Baz

Bring it on. Maybe the neighbors will keep their kids and dogs off my yard.

— @jonnyg137

If they are law-abiding citizens, there is no need to publish the information. If issues were found, such as mental illness or convictions, then OK.

— @Denise_C_Rod

Just because news media have access to information doesn't make it news. What did readers really learn from that? But go Freedom of Information Act!

— @krmilligan

For more of this discussion, follow @USATOpinion or search #tellusatoday on Twitter.

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