Indiana: Herald-Times - Gun Owners are Stupid, Paranoid, and Easily Manipulated!

[Skunk]

Indiana: The Herald-Times Online Thinks Gun Owners are Stupid, Paranoid, and Easily Manipulated!

by The NRA
 
December 10, 2009

The editors of the Bloomington Herald Times apparently don’t like the feedback they’ve received in response to their online gun database.  Writing on December 7, Herald Times Editor Bob Zaltsberg feigns surprise and takes offense at being targeted in similar fashion as they chose to target lawful gun owners.  They paint the NRA as irrational and suggest we are erroneously attacking the press while they continue to misrepresent the facts regarding their online gun database, telling gun owners and concerned citizens they don’t have their facts straight while attempting to absolve themselves of any responsibility for the public outrage they alone deserve.

Herald-Times Falsehood #1: The Herald-Times claims its online database doesn’t treat concealed carry permit holders like sex offenders.

“The NRA said the database treated law-abiding gun owners like sex offenders. That unfair and unfounded characterization set off an angry reaction.” (HTO Editorial, “H-T targeted over gun permit database” December 7, 2009)

Truth:  In fact, the Herald-Times database permits anyone to find out where concealed carry permit holders live in Indiana by searching for the street name, city/town or zip code and helpfully displays the number of permit holders according to their street and town.  Sex offenders are often chronicled in databases that are searchable by street name, city/town or zip code.

Since the gun permit holder database was originally placed in the Crimes section of the paper’s website, the intended message to their readers is pretty clear: guns and concealed carry permit holders are dangerous and you need to know where these gun owners live so you can stay safe.  Why else would they put the database in the Crimes section of their website?

Herald-Times Falsehood #2:  The Herald-Times claims NRA told email recipients that the Herald-Times planned to publish the names and addresses of permit holders.

“A vast majority of [the public] misunderstood, from what the NRA had sent them, that we planned to publish names and addresses, which was never under consideration.” (HTO Editorial, “H-T targeted over gun permit database”, December 7, 2009)

Truth: In fact, we were very clear in our December 1 email alert that the Herald-Times would not be listing the names and addresses of permit holders.

NRA-ILA Alert: “Anyone who visits the newspaper website will be able to search the number of permits on a given street or neighborhood. Although at this point the names and house numbers are not listed, the newspaper’s website treats law-abiding Indiana gun owners like sex offenders on a searchable database.”

Herald-Times Falsehood #3: The Herald-Times claims that posting the number of permit holders on a specific street doesn’t endanger any law-abiding permit holders.

“The information we published did not include any names, any specific addresses, and would have been difficult if not impossible to use to identify any law-abiding permit holder in the state.” (HTO Editorial, “H-T targeted over gun permit database”, December 7, 2009)

Truth: In reality it’s not difficult, let alone “impossible”, for someone to be identified as a permit holder if they are the only house on their private or rural street. Likewise, if there are a small number of homes on a short street in a suburb, small town or rural area, and many or all of those homes have permit holders, the paper has just told anyone who cares to know that there is a firearm in many of the houses in a particular area, providing a virtual “steal-me” list for the enterprising criminal.

The paper has also put non-permit holders at risk by letting would-be criminals know which streets are not occupied by gun permit holders and therefore which homes may be occupied by easy targets.

This is not merely a gun issue. This is an important privacy issue. Lawful citizens exercising Constitutionally-protected, personal lifestyle choices should not be subjected to harassment or intimidation of any kind – by their neighbors, work peers or a newspaper with a political axe to grind. Citizens should also not be subjected to criminal activity by those who would use such information as the Herald-Times has made available for their own illegal purpose.

It is clear by now that the Herald-Times does not care for those opinions that do not mimic their own. They have shown no desire to take down the database and they prefer to tell their readers and responders, “we’re not wrong, you are”.

Advertisers of the Herald-Times might be more interested in the opinions of would-be customers, and they deserve to know what their advertising dollars are helping support.  So please continue to contact the Herald-Times and their advertisers and urge them to respect your right to privacy.

Bob Zaltsberg, Editor
(812) 331-4364
rzaltsberg@heraldt.com

Cory Bollinger, Herald-Times Advertising Director
(812) 331-4279
cbollinger@heraldt.com

Kirkwood Photo Lab and Portrait Studio
515 West Kirkwood Ave
Bloomington, IN 47404
info@kirkwoodphoto.com
(812) 332-4888

Andrew Davis Menswear
1. Covington Plaza
6410 W. Jefferson Blvd.
Fort Wayne, IN 46804
260-436-4788
chris@andrewdavismenswear.com

2. Kirkwood on the Square Fountain Square Mall
101 W. Kirkwood, Suite 119
Bloomington, IN 47403
812-323-7730
macey@andrewdavismenswear.com

Mohney Homes, Inc.
2404 Industrial Park Drive
Bloomington, IN 47401
Phone (812) 332-5920
Fax (812) 332-2989

IU Credit Union
PH: 812-855-7823
Toll Free: 888-855-MYCU
Email: marketing@iucu.org; memberservice@iucu.org; president@iucu.org

Harley-Davidson of Bloomington
http://www.indianaharley.com/
522 West Gourley Pike
Bloomington, Indiana 47404
PH: 812-333-8300

IndianaBuyItNow.com
buyitnow@hoosiertimes.com 

French Lick West Baden
www.visitfrenchlickwestbaden.com/
8291 W. Beechwood Avenue
French Lick, Indiana 47432
Toll free: (877) 422 - 9925
Local: (812) 936 – 3418

Underground Printing
1. Bloomington Location:
512 E. Kirkwood Ave
Bloomington, IN 47408
P: 812.558.0286
F: 866.645.1686
ugpbl@undergroundshirts.com

2. West Lafayette Location:
314 W. State St.
West Lafayette, IN 47906
P: 765.588.3851
F: 866.645.1686
ugpwl@undergroundshirts.com

Yarns Unlimited
http://www.yarnsunlimited.com/
101 W. Kirkwood Avenue, Suite 129
Bloomington, IN  47404
(812) 334-2464
yarnsunlimited@comcast.net

Curry Auto Center
2906 Buick Cadillac Blvd.
Bloomington, IN 47401
(812) 650-0657
(800) 926-0555

http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?id=5243

[Mikey]

It sounds like a boycott of the herald-times is in order.  I would ask the editor, in a open public letter, how much that particular reporter is worth - then I would ask him how many papers he would not sell until his losses became more than that reporter was worth and then continue to boycott the paper until he understands the financial reprecussions of his antics.

Look at it this way - S&W under British ownership also faced consumer wrath when they contracted with cuomo (hud) on their pistols and the like - it took only 3 months of boycotting before they sold the business to the current owners. 

One local newspaper here has one particular pundit who flapped his jaws, in his editorial column, about gun owners, etc., and I wrote a similar letter questioning how many papers not sold would add up to this guy's salary - about 1 weeks worth as I recall, and I also asked for help from our Graybeard members who e-mailed and wrote complaining about this guy.  Well, he then switched gears to focus on dogs instead of guns and has since kept his mouth shut about guns and hunting. 

I'm not going to claim the trophy for that one as I am certainit was the incredible response from  many, many people taht caused the editor to rethink his position. 

And, you can always threaten him with a lawsuit.........

[Skunk]

Mikey,

A boycott is definitely in order. What gets me is that listing the name of a permit holder really is like being listed as a perverted sex offender. Good, law-abiding citizens being grouped together like a herd of pervs that can be looked up on a google map. Looking at the list of advertisers, I think a great place to start complaining about the Herald-Times would be with the Credit Union and Harley dealership. Of course, an e-mail to all the advertisers of the Herald-Times would be the best.

I also asked for help from our Graybeard members who e-mailed and wrote complaining about this guy.  Well, he then switched gears to focus on dogs instead of guns and has since kept his mouth shut about guns and hunting.

I didn't realize this had happened. Good one Mikey, this was a grass roots effort at its finest.