Open Letter to Volk

[4v50 Gary]

It's time to call "Quiet Time." Let's take a nap.

 

[Oleg Volk]

Let's add a few facts to this thread

1. Until today, I had no idea what or who WBIR is.
2. The only thing I've seen about the "article" was one of our members critiquing it.

 

[hso]

For anyone interested, Bainx's information is pretty much incorrect.

The maps on WBIR's website do NOT provide the addresses of any HCP holders. What you CAN do is key in an address and select your county and it will pull up the overall stats for the census tract your address is in. Not the address of an HCP holder (unless you think that putting your own address into the the finder somehow is triggering your address from the data???)

Some folks are ranting that there's another data set that can be downloaded from the WBIR website and that opens in Google Earth that provides the addresses of HCP holders. Again, BS. I pulled the file down and opened it in GE and it provides nothing more than the same anonymous census/income data for a census tract you can see below -

Knox
Permits: 403
Population: 16722
Urban pop:15837
Rural pop: 885
White pop: 15626
Black pop: 316
Pop in family households: 15470
Median income: $75468

The "author" of WBIR's analysis states repeatedly that they will not be revealing the identities of the HCP holders nor their addresses. People don't seem to be paying attention to the fact that WBIR doesn't present that information and that they keep saying they won't reveal it, but that doesn't stop the tin foil hatters from embarrassing all of us with their ranting about something that hasn't been done.

There's nothing in the maps to rant about, but it doesn't stop plenty of folks who have swallowed the tinfoil bs from joining the lynch mob.

As to Oleg's involvement in the analysis by WBIR? Someone mysteriously references THR and Oleg in the comments on the article at WBIR while someone accuses Oleg of having encouraged the folks at WBIR here on THR. Interesting coincidence? Self fulfilling prophecy? Self supporting slander?

 

[hso]

APOLOGY OFFERED TO THE AUTHOR AND WBIR.

Upon reviewing my postings, I have found some of them to be out-of-ling and uncalled for. As I stated, I mean absolutely no malice for anyone. Its just that it seems that 98% of everything the media puts out on gun owner is negative and demeaning to us as individuals. After reviewing the article, I find it is not meant to damage me as an individual.
Please accept my sincere apology for acting like a jerk.

This is the alarmist who kept ranting (incorrectly) at the WBIR line that the WBIR folks made identity information available for TN HCP holders then posted the addresses for WBIR employees on the WBIR line. Now he's recanted.

No apology for slandering Oleg there (or here) yet.

 

[XavierBreath]

From Jake Jost:

Wow. The response to this story and associated commentary, frankly, has been stunning.

A few points I'd like to emphasize:

1. NO NAMES, NO ADDRESSES PUBLISHED. Sorry for caps, but somehow folks are still missing it.

2. This study does not assess the handgun carry permit program's effectiveness. It does not aim to. Our goal was descriptive statistics of who is making use of the program. Many are taking my statement about a lack of data for Tennessee to be an assertion the program does not work. The point was, specifically, that we were unable to gather the data to assess its effectiveness. Mr. Lott's work may well be tremendously persuasive with compelling evidence--the only thing I wrote was that the studies we've read didn't settle the issue. I'll give Lott's work a read.

3. The question of whether there's a debate over the program does not begin and end at pro- or anti-Second Amendment. Given the pretty clear economic split our study suggests, it may be worth asking whether Tennessee's permit fees and the cost of training are an impediment to folks carrying in lower-income areas--and further, would that create an inequality in rights? Frankly, if I knew where we could find the data to answer that question, we'd do a follow-up posthaste.

4. The assumption by many parties has been a sort of "worst case scenario" the second they saw we were studying this program. I'm aware of the longtime frustration of gun owners and enthusiasts with their portrayal in the press. However, that's really no excuse for deciding what the story says and does not say before you've actually read it, and subsequently flying off the handle. If you'd like to change anything about the way the press represents these issues, you're much better off viewing journalists as misguided allies than as the enemy.

5. You'll see plenty more stories combining geography and available data to reveal unseen trends in the near future. For better or for worse, I predict many will be a lot more boring for you, as we study issues a bit farther from your heart. While I can't guarantee they'll catch your interest like this story has, you have my firmest assurances we'll do our level best to treat any potentially sensitive information with the same dignity and respect we'd treat the people represented by the data.

6. Once again, NO NAMES, NO ADDRESSES HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED. IN ANY FORM.(Just in case anyone skimmed and didn't catch it the first time.)

Regards,
--Jake, wbir.com