Communist Appeal Publishes Permit Holder Database

[Pat McGarrity]

Yet another example of this publication treating gun owners, especially carry permit holders, as second, or even third, class citizens. Can you imagine them publishing a list of illegal aliens, for example? If you are still subscribing to the CA, you should consider what you are funding.

In Liberty,

Pat McGarrity

Director - Shelby County, TFA

"And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed—if all records told the same tale—then the lie passed into history and became truth. 'Who controls the past' ran the Party slogan, 'controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.'"

George Orwell - 1984, published in 1949.





Tennessee Firearms Association, Inc.
Legislative Action Committee

Yes, the Commercial Appeal - that stalwart of protecting the public and the rights of privacy - has published the names of Tennessee handgun permit holders in an online searchable database

http://www.commercialappeal.com/data/gunpermits/

This is an example of the data you can obtain:

Last Name

First Name

Middle Name

Suffix

DOB

City COVINGTON

State TN

ZIP 38019

Issue Date 6/18/2008

Expiration Date 6/18/2012



Here is what you need to do

1) Contact the Commercial Appeal and let them know what you think about their actions

2) Contact your legislators and demand the passage of the confidentiality legislation that TFA is supporting!!!!

Perhaps, before you call - you might want to run their names through the search.....

[MitchSchaft]

[buckeyefirearmschad]

Has this happened before in Tennessee?

In Ohio, we worked to get our law changed after repeated abuses of this kind. Before the law was changed, we also worked to deter it from happening by publishing as much information as we could about the editor of the newspaper responsible for the abuse.

A prime example is our response to Sandusky Register editor Matt Westerhold's decision to publish the names:

http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/article3816.html
- this goes to the original article covering the abuse. Links at the bottom will take you to follow-ups, including revelations about Westerhold's home (how much he paid, and even a picture of the house, with car in the driveway) and divorce records, about the Register emplying convicted sex offenders, etc. etc. The point being, if they want to argue about the public’s “need to know,” turnabout is fair play. Everything we revealed was available via public record. But the question we want all newspapers asking is, just because it IS available, does that mean it is worth publishing?

Our coverage got national attention, including a mention on The Rush Limbaugh Program.

Forgive me if TFA has already fought these battles, and if I'm telling you what you already know. But in case this is a new thing for Tennessee, I wanted to post.

Best -

Chad Baus
Buckeye Firearms Association

[buckeyefirearmschad]

I meant to add - if you only have time to read two or three of the articles we did on the Register, I recommend these:

Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes? Who will guard the guardians?
http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/article3819.html

What is the harm in publishing lists of concealed handgun license holders?
http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/3823

Sandusky Register on Privacy: What's good for me not good for thee
http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/3836

[Pat McGarrity]

Thanks Chad, we are doing the same in that we are publishing the addresses of the management of the paper that did this. Yes, this had happened before with both the Memphis paper, The Communist Appeal and the Nashville one, The Tennessean AKA Pravda on the Cumberland. We have bills in our legislature to stop this abuse.

My complements to The Buckeye Firearms Association, it is often brought to my attention the fine example you have set for the nation.

In Liberty,

Pat McGarrity
Director - Shelby County TFA

[buckeyefirearmschad]

Thanks for the compliment. TFA actually had something to do with it. I became a shooter while living in TN, and quickly realized the importance of TFA in restoring and protecting our rights.

When I moved back to my home state, I went looking for an organization that was up on things in the Buckeye state like TFA is in the Vol state. Lots of stuff along the way, and lots of people involved, but well, here we are!

[cbledso2]

[Pat McGarrity]

Well said, THANKS!!!