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What's more, this may well provide data for would-be gun thieves to use to acquire illegal weapons. Now that they have a convenient list, they can stake out th

• danso 14y ago
  Ok, ignoring the fact that this is a map of permits, you do realize that there are different kinds of permits, right? Someone's permit could be for business, which means the handgun,if they even have one, may not even be at the house. Or worse, it's conceal and carry, which means if the owner comes home when the burglar is vainly trying to find the gun, that burglar is in trouble. I know burglars may be low lifes, but they're also kind of lazy. The time it would take to thoroughly research a gun burglary could be sent going to another state and buying legal guns by the bundle.
  • edj 14y ago
    Ok, ignoring the fact that this is a map of permits Why would you ignore that this is a map? That's the point - the data is now conveniently visualized as a map... Someone's permit could be for business, which means the handgun,if they even have one, may not even be at the house. True. And your argument would be further strengthened if you pointed out that some of these are 5-year permits and some are lifetime permits. So, many of these individuals may have sold their guns, died, moved out of state, etc. Or worse, it's conceal and carry CCW permits are very, very difficult to get in New York. I know burglars may be low lifes, but they're also kind of lazy. The time it would take to thoroughly research a gun burglary could be sent going to another state and buying legal guns by the bundle. I have no idea how likely it is that criminals would use this data, only that it's now much more convenient for them to do so. Obviously non-felons have a much easier time getting guns. People who steal guns or buy illegal guns usually aren't allowed to buy them, most likely because they are already felons.
    • danso 14y ago
      - I said "ignoring the fact that this is a map of permits" because you seemed to be under the impression that this was a map of guns. Or even a map of gun owners. It is neither. You can get a license and not own a gun. - As you said, CCW is hard to get in NY, and many other states that are not shall-issue. In fact, to get a CCW permit in such a state, you often need political or business connections, which is why an accounting of who gets these favors is sometimes called for. - I have no idea how likely it is that criminals would use this data, only that it's now much more convenient for them to do so. Hello, you have just used the line of reasoning used by virtually every public information officer concerning virtually every type of public record: We don't know exactly how criminals will use it or have any empirical evidence showing that they systematically use such information, but just to be safe, we will not release this information David Simon, a former cops reporter and creator of The Wire, wrote an excellent piece a few years ago about how the police hiding public records under the guise of safety helped cover-up a police officer's incompetence: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/27/AR2009022703591.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02...