The North Coast Journal on Pistols and Pot
The Sept. 25, 2008 edition of the North Coast Journal featured an article by Heidi Walters entitled “Pistol Packing People” which painted a slanted picture of citizens of Humboldt County who hold permits to carry concealed weapons. Ms. Walters interviewed a small number of CCW holders, pointed out their political affiliation (as if that has anything to do with their need to defend themselves), and documented that none of the few people she interviewed had ever been so unfortunate as to have to use their concealed weapons to defend themselves. As a whole the people she interviewed seemed to be kind, good-natured people who were not terribly mis-represented by Ms. Walters.
The anti-gun bias of her article, while easily identifiable, was not enough to offend the average gun owner (which is a large population of Humboldt Co.), and is her right to express under the 1st Amendment. Where the Journal went too far, was in publishing the names of the vast majority of CCW holders on the cover of that edition. Although printed in a small font, the names were clearly legible, and used without prior permission from or even notification of these nearly 700 citizens.
As a result, several internet gun forums exploded with outrage. Many letters were written to the Journal, it’s publisher, editor, advertisers, and Ms. Walters herself. The Journal’s own website received hundreds of comments from outraged readers condemning the publication of these names as irresponsible and unnecessary. Very few comments were posted in support of the article or the publication of these names.
One would think the Journal would get the picture, but…
The Oct. 2, 2008 edition of the journal featured an article by Hank Sims entitles “Unconcealed” defending the previous article by Ms. Walters (which was never really the cause for outrage), as well as their publication of the names of the vast majority of Humboldt County’s CCW holders.
Mr. Sims wrote “We strongly reject the idea that we have invaded anyone's privacy. There was no privacy involved. In California, the privilege of carrying a loaded firearm in public is a public matter. Licenses to do so are granted and bestowed by representatives of the people of the state of California, in their name, and the people have the right to examine the work of its representatives in granting or denying such licenses.”
In contrast, the privilege of growing marijuana for medicine or for profit, is granted by doctors, so the North Coast Journal protects the privacy of pot growers by not using their real names without permission, as evidenced in “After Hacker Creek” where author Kym Kemp interviewed a couple of pot growers after a diesel spill from a pot-growing operation damaged the Hacker Creek ecosystem. An editors note was quick to point out that “The names and a few identifying characteristics of "Max" and other non-convicted marijuana growers in this story have been changed.” They wouldn’t want to endanger any pot growers or violate their privacy.
Medical marijuana being legal in Humboldt County, I would suspect that the Sheriff’s office has a list of known grow operations. I also suspect that the North Coast Journal has no interest in obtaining that information and putting it on the cover of their publication.
I am curious why the Journal feels it necessary to out CCW holders, who carry weapons legally, but conceals the identity of marijuana growers who are criminals under federal law, if not under state law.
Who is more dangerous to our community? Is it the people who carry weapons for their own protection (and often for the protection of their loved ones and those around them), who would probably just as soon use that weapon to defend your life as they would their own? Or is it the pot growers who spill diesel into our rivers and streams, attract a criminal element to our county, damage our local economy by driving up prices while good legitimate jobs remain few and far between, and encourage laziness and complacency through the product they sell?
The Journal’s opinion is obvious.
B
