No one can accuse a liberal of common sense. We witness their stupidity every day. But the editors at the Journal-News went beyond the pale when they published the names and addresses of licensed gun owners. Even ex-cons couldn’t believe it. Fox News reports:
Reformed crooks say the New York newspaper
that published a map of names and addresses of gun owners did a great service –
to their old cronies in the burglary trade.
The information published online by the
Journal-News, a daily paper serving the New York suburbs of Westchester,
Rockland and Putnam counties, could be highly useful to thieves in two ways,
former burglars told FoxNews.com. Crooks looking to avoid getting shot now know
which targets are soft and those who need weapons know where they can steal
them
“That was the most asinine article I’ve ever
seen,” said Walter T. Shaw, 65, a former burglar and jewel thief who the FBI
blames for more than 3,000 break-ins that netted some $70 million in the 1960s
and 1970s. “Having a list of who has a gun is like gold - why rob that house
when you can hit the one next door, where there are no guns?
"What they did was insanity," added
Shaw, author of "License to Steal," a book about his criminal career
And it goes on:
“They just created an opportunity for some
crimes to be committed and I think it’s exceptionally stupid,” said Bob
Portenier, 65, a former burglar and armed house robber turned crime prevention
consultant.
Professional burglars are always looking for
an edge, and like most folks, they read the paper, said Portenier.
“Criminals are always looking for opportunity
and words travels through the grapevine—burglars trade secrets and when you see
something like that in the paper, that’s is something burglar’s are going to
talk about,” Portenier said. “‘Did you see in the paper where all these people
have guns and their addresses?’ and that kind of stuff, they’ll say.”
While some burglars may use the newspaper’s
information to avoid guns, Portenier said others will target homes with guns.
The newspaper’s decision could even lead to legally-owned guns proliferating on
the street, he said.
“That’s one of the first things we’d check
out—guns are on the top of the list of what you want to steal,” he said. “They
can walk out with a shotgun and a couple of handguns and sell them on the
street for $300 or $400 a pop. They can sell them to a gangbanger who ends up
killing someone."
Frank Abagnale, who was portrayed by Leonardo
DiCaprio in the 2002 film “Catch Me if You Can,” and is perhaps the most famous
reformed thief to ever earn a legitimate living by offering the public insight
into the criminal mind, called the newspaper’s actions “reprehensible.”
“It is unbelievable that a newspaper or so
called journalist would publish the names and addresses of legal gun owners,
including federal agents, law enforcement officers and the like,” said
Abagnale, who noted that he grew up in the suburban New York area served by the
Journal-News. “This would be equivalent to publishing the names of individuals
who keep substantial sums of money, jewelry and valuables in their home.”
So-called journalist is right. The activists at the Journal-News have
endangered the lives of law abiding citizens.
We can expect a major lawsuit if anyone gets robbed or hurt because of
these editors. This paper will become
extinct.Source: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/01/04/ex-burglars-say-newspapers-gun-map-wouldve-made-job-easier-safer/#ixzz2H44520a7
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