Gun Politics New York

Gun owners fight with the Journal News keeps getting better:

Plus, “Rockland Politicos to ‘Condemn’ Gun Map“:

“In a press release sent out late Wednesday afternoon, Rockland lawmakers announced they will join the growing ranks of public servants and Lower Hudson Valley residents angered by the recent publication of a map pinpointing local gun owners … Rockland County Legislator Frank Sparaco will announce a resolution to condemn the decision by The Journal News to post the names and addresses of lawful pistol permit holders in Rockland and Westchester Counties,” the release reads. Sparaco will be joined by Legislators Jay Hood, Jr., Aron Wieder, Toney Earl and Christopher Carey at the Friday confence … The Friday conference will also tackle a slate of other gun-related issues, like confidentiality for pistol permit applications, officials said. Lawmakers will also suggest a program that would freely distribute firearm cable safety locks to all legal gun owners in the area. The conference will draw bipartisan support; the release notes Rockland County Clerk Paul Piperato, Rockland County Sheriff Louis Falco, Kristen Stavisky, the Chairwoman of the Rockland Co. Democratic Party and Vincent Reda, Chairman of the Rockland Co. Republican Party will all be present …”

It is very rare to see both Democrat and Republican leadership get together like this.Journal News

I was interviewed by a reporter for WNYC this morning. All they ran was this quote:

“… Jacob Rieper, vice president of legislative affairs for the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association, said any changes that go after guns or legal gun owners won’t work.  “All of these ideas they’re based on the false premise that somehow guns are the problem. They’re not,” Rieper said. “You have to focus on personal behavior, on criminals especially on the mentally ill.” …”

The Journal News has decided to hired armed guards in response to the negative pushback the paper has received for publishing the pistol license list w/searchable map for Westchester and Rockland.  According to the Rockland Times:

“… According to police reports on public record, Journal News Rockland Editor Caryn A. McBride was alarmed by the volume of “negative correspondence,” namely an avalanche of phone calls and emails to the Journal News office, following the newspaper’s publishing of a map of all pistol permit holders in Rockland and Westchester. Due to apparent safety concerns, the newspaper then decided to hire RGA Investigations to provide armed personnel to man the location … McBride had filed at least two reports with the Clarkstown Police Department due to perceived threats. However, the police did not find the communications in question actually threatening …”

In other words, guns are o.k. when used to protect elitist snobs at leftist rags like the Urinal News, but not ordinary citizens like those the paper decided to out.

Meanwhile, Putnam Co. is refusing to give the paper their pistol license list: