Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?
NewsCut
Bob Collins

The gun owner next door

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

Is it in your best interest to know which of your neighbors has a gun in the house? Does it violate the privacy of gun owners?

New York's Journal News has posted an interactive map showing the location of all gun owners in Westchester and Rockland counties, north of New York City.

My information "should be absolutely private," said Triglianos, who is licensed to carry firearms and owns an AR-15 rifle, the same model of gun used in the Newtown massacre. "Why do my neighbors need to know that? I am not a threat to my neighbors. I don't pose a physical threat to anyone."

He's got some support in surprising place, according to an accompanying article.

The comments section of the paper is worth reading. "I'd rather have a gun owner as my neighbor then a journalist, one is far more responsible then the other," says one commenter.

"It's not necessary for people to know who has what," said Daniel Friedman, a Ramapo councilman and author of the book, "Saving Our Children: An In-Depth Look at Gun Violence in Our Nation and Our Schools." "I think we need to balance people's right to privacy with people's right to safety and people's right to legitimately own guns."

The newspaper didn't do anything illegal in creating the map. All of the data was available using a Freedom of Information request.

But NPR says the move has generated significant pushback against the paper.

And the journalism site, Poynter, says some gun owners and bloggers responded by posting names, home addresses and phone numbers of the paper's publishers and the reporter who wrote the story.

Poynter's Al Tompkins seemed perplexed over why a paper would do such a thing.

"I hope any journalist who does this is willing to be accessible and responsive. If it is unfettered openness you want, you jolly well better set the example," he said.

The reporter of the story owns a .357.