My CCW was outed today...

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B yond

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...by my local paper! :mad: I'm sitting at my desk at work and someone comes into my office and hands me a copy of the paper. My name is on the cover along with every other CCW licensee in my county! :fire:

It seems a local 'journalist' thought it would be a good idea to publish the names of every single CCWer in the county, and to write a sloppy article about us.

One CCWer this 'journalist' interviewed happens to be a CCW instructor who said "One of the first things that an instructor tells them is, if you're going to conceal this in public you keep your mouth shut and nobody's supposed to know anything about it," Koog said. "Because, you tell your best girlfriend who's sittin' in the beauty shop tellin' her best girlfriend and next door is a drug dealer's girlfriend and she tells him that you have one, so they watch you and the first dark night you come out of a corner shopping center and head for your car, well, they're gonna mug you and take your gun."

How does this 'journalist respond? She publishes all of our names!!! :cuss::fire::banghead:

I just can't find words to express my level of outrage. I'm at a loss here.

I feel like a target has been painted on my back for no good reason. I didn't get a CCW so everyone in the county would know I carry/own guns.

If you wouldn't mind, they're accepting comments on the article (with the full text) here.
 
Humboldt County Sheriff's Office Records Supervisor Melva Paris and three other staffers put the list together for us, hand-pulling files and typing up the names of 652 permit holders and the number and type of guns they're packing (you're allowed up to three guns on the permit, the serial numbers of which get printed on it).


Good to see the County Sheriff's Office doing the responsible thing. :banghead:
 
I know a lot of the names they outed...

Judges, Doctors, Lawyers, Teachers, Businessmen.

I hope there's a lawsuit.
 
What the HELL is wrong with this so called 'journalist'. That is total BS. Do you have any legal recorse with this?
 
amazing! i had to read the OP twice... can't believe the local paper would out anyone, much less EVERYONE, in the county.
 
There won't be any lawsuits. This stunt has been pulled before, and ruled legal. Something to do with the freedom of information act (I guess the application is public record).

Now to use that freedom of information act for revenge. Get the home address, home phone number, criminal record, background check information, spouses information, kids information, car information, college loan information, etc. of the writer, and the editor of the paper and publish it. Print out fliers. Put it on a billboard. Hire a sky-writer. Run a commercial with Bob Saget reading the information during the superbowl. Maybe they'll gain a new appreciation for privacy.
 
public record

That is the whole point.

Under the Freedom of Infomation Act, anybody has the right to public information. Since all of our CCW permits have to go through a government body, that information is "public". Is it right to publish it? No, for a lot of reasons. Is it legal. Yes. The same thing happened in Virginia a couple of years ago. The Roanoke Times printed the names of every CCW permit holder in the state. The Constituition protects some things we don't like.
She obviously hasn't gotten the fact that the people who jump through all of these hoops are not the people she needs to worry about.

Stay safe
 
I always think of this objection: A woman is hiding from an abuser or stalker. That's why she's packing. Then, a newspaper tells the creep exactly where she is.

Journalism schools need a class on thinking two steps ahead.
 
Posted by B yond:
I know a lot of the names they outed...

Judges, Doctors, Lawyers, Teachers, Businessmen.

I hope there's a lawsuit.
Click to expand...

There's probably no legal recourse at this time, since it's a matter of public record under current laws.

However, if innocent persons get harmed during a robbery or burglary, and it comes out in court that the robber/burglar got his victim's name and address from the newspaper, and was there to steal their guns---I can see the newspaper facing a MAJOR lawsuit.

Unfortunately, it will probably take somebody getting hurt and one of these news rags getting the !@#$% sued out of them, to stop this sort of thing.

Contact your local and state legislators, and tell them you're NOT happy, and politely request they introduce and/or support legislation to correct this problem. I believe there are at least a few states that have passed the necessary legislation, but many more need to.

File a formal written complaint with the Sheriff's department, and tell them you thought it was their job to PROTECT citizens, NOT endanger them.
 
This is just incredibly wrong. It's a gross invasion of privacy. I wonder if they'll publish a list of women who carry vibrators. Some guy in the comments said, "well, I'd like to know if I'm standing next to someone with a gun". Why not publish the names of people who have nail clippers, too? They're also carrying tools.
 
What if you drop it and it goes off?
Click to expand...

Sheesh.

Also ironic that they mentioned people carrying without a permit. Ironic because I suspect there now may be a few more doing that in the near future, because of this.
 
I'm surprised this happened in Humboldt county. Heidi may be leaving town on a rail soon.

If it wasn't still in California, one of the little coastal towns north of Eureka would be ideal to me. Reasonable sheriff, beautiful forests, cool weather, ocean views. I laughed while driving on "main street" in Trinidad (one of these coastal towns). The police place a dummy in a police car and park it. Apparently that's all that's needed to defer crime. :D

Heidi needs to get her resume in order.
 
I sent them my thoughts as a comment. They are as follows:

As a journalist of more than 30 years I find the decision to publish the names of concealed weapons permit holders abhorrent.

Nothing about it serves the public interest. It also may endanger the lives of a number of permit holders.

Did it occur to the editor or reporter that a person may have a permit because they are victims of crimes or, that they are under imminent threat by a criminal?

As someone who has spent 20 years as an editor I must say, this was a boneheaded move.

I hope they run everyone who had anything to do with it out of town on a rail.
 
Here's what I posted;

Another example of irresponsible journalism.

Someone should place the authors picture, address and home phone number in every bus stop, billboard and bar in Humbolt County and then see how they feel about freedom of speech.

This is not protected speech it is harassment. Not one of the people who has a weapon for personal protection is a criminal, they are exercising their rights, the same as when you will go and vote this November.

Shame on the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office Records Supervisor Melva Paris and other staffers who put this list together, they should be terminated immediately and sued by EVERY person on that list.

Simply disgraceful Un-American conduct.
Click to expand...


Someone should place the authors picture, address and home phone number in every bus stop, billboard and bar in Humbolt County and then see how they feel about freedom of speech.

I will give $1 to every photo example.

:)
 
While I'm not happy about it, I suppose it's a public record. Perhaps some legislation should be considered to conceal this information unless compelled by subpoena.
 
too bad she has a common name. Searching for Heidi Walters in CA phonebooks returns way too many results to know for sure. If somebody could find out her middle inital then she could get a taste of her own medicine when all her personal info is posted on the newspapers comments page.
 
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