Here in Maine a Bangor based newspaper thought it would be a good idea to gather names of ALL concealed weapons permit holders in the name of research. The Bangor Daily News used the Freedom of Access Act to attempt to gather the names and addresses and dates of birth for those who have a legal permit. The letter was shared via facebook pages by many of the police departments in Maine to let CWP holders know that the request had been made and that they would have to comply. Needless to say, even in a state that swings for the current administration, Mainer's hold their gun rights and privacy rights in high regard. A grassroots campaign started with letters to both the paper and their ADVERTISERS. Facebook was used and the newspaper was literally inundated with protests. It seems that since GOP lawmakers in Augusta had put forth legislation to keep that information private in case a newspaper decided to mimic the New York debacle, the Bangor Daily News thought that gathering the information before the law was enacted would be a good idea. WRONG. As many know, pickup trucks are the chosen transportation device here and the car and truck dealers that advertise with that paper were placed in the sights of the CWP holders and their friends. Needless to say, hitting them in the pocketbook with threats of boycotting these dealerships made the owners sit up and take notice. One dealership in Bangor notified the paper that it might reassess it's media buying budget if the paper persisted. I copied and pasted their public Facebook notice here: To our faithful Customers, Neighbors and fellow Citizens:
We have heard you, loud and clear. Since Thursday afternoon (2/14/13), we have been working with the BDN and voicing our concerns regarding their Freedom of Access Act (FOAA) request for a complete list of Concealed Weapon Permit (CWP) holders in our State.
Please know that we have indeed communicated to the BDN what we feel their next step should be: withdraw the FOAA request.
To the customers that have voiced concerns about our advertising relationship with the BDN, we would like to let you know that we did communicate to the paper that if they do not withdraw their request, we will re-evaluate where and with whom we spend our advertising budget with.
Alternatively, our interest with this matter would be better served if we all focused our passion and energy on our State Senators and Legislative Representatives and demand that they support, pass and enact LD 345, HP 250 to make this information private.
We are thankful for all the support you have provided our company in the past. Additionally, we appreciate all of your communication over the past couple of days on this issue and look forward to working on your behalf in the future.
It proves that money is where the media is and the Bangor Daily has since rescinded it's requests. WINNING>
We have heard you, loud and clear. Since Thursday afternoon (2/14/13), we have been working with the BDN and voicing our concerns regarding their Freedom of Access Act (FOAA) request for a complete list of Concealed Weapon Permit (CWP) holders in our State.
Please know that we have indeed communicated to the BDN what we feel their next step should be: withdraw the FOAA request.
To the customers that have voiced concerns about our advertising relationship with the BDN, we would like to let you know that we did communicate to the paper that if they do not withdraw their request, we will re-evaluate where and with whom we spend our advertising budget with.
Alternatively, our interest with this matter would be better served if we all focused our passion and energy on our State Senators and Legislative Representatives and demand that they support, pass and enact LD 345, HP 250 to make this information private.
We are thankful for all the support you have provided our company in the past. Additionally, we appreciate all of your communication over the past couple of days on this issue and look forward to working on your behalf in the future.
It proves that money is where the media is and the Bangor Daily has since rescinded it's requests. WINNING>
