Concealed weapons info

To the Editor:

The purpose of this letter is to inform you of one Mainer's opinion about the request recently made by the Bangor Daily News (BDN), for a list of all Maine residents who have been issued a concealed carry permit.

First, I hope the folks at the BDN do not carry weapons because I think you just shot yourself in the proverbial foot. This information is not going to help you sell papers, or give you any conclusive evidence to your "research."

In a time when newspaper sales across the country are spiraling downward, you decide to try a New York Times [see Editor's note] stunt under the cloak of research, this is sad in my humble opinion. It is my hopes the person or people involved have the backbone or intestinal fortitude to look the employees in the eyes and apologize to them when the layoffs start.

If you want to know how many people have a concealed carry permit and have been involved in a domestic violence case, why not ask each police chief for this information. You are looking for numbers, why do you need names, addresses, birth dates, height, weight, etc ... ? It is my belief you are hurting yourselves more than you realize.

Another concern is for the people who do not carry or do not have a concealed carry permit. In the event this information gets published, it allows any criminal to use deductive reasoning for the purpose of committing a crime.

At a minimum, it tells the criminals which homes most likely have weapons and would be information any criminal could use, or if they are looking for firearms and feel lucky, they now have a list of where to try their luck and/or meet their fate.

Is the BDN going to be held accountable if the information gets published or hacked and identity theft occurs? How will you feel when innocent folks become targets? How will you react to deaths attributed to your "research?" Is the information really a necessity or a publicity stunt? I was educated in public school and am most likely not as smart as the folks at BDN.

One thing I would do if I were the editor or a reporter, I would report the news. My opinion or my views would not hinder or sway the story in any form. This concept has been fading for many years, and folks wonder why newspapers are dying. I would rather hold a newspaper in my hands and read it rather than go online to read several news accounts just to figure out what really happened.

My faith, morals, ethical values, upbringing, training and the fact I have a spine allow me to look at something and tell the truth whether I agree with it or not.

It is my opinion this is an violation of the Freedom of Information Act and the Maine's Freedom of Access Act (FOAA). Both of these Acts are for the purpose of individuals to keep an eye on the government. "The public’s right to information about government activities lies at the heart of a democratic government.

The Maine Freedom of Access Act (FOAA) grants the people of this state a broad right of access to public records while protecting legitimate governmental interests and the privacy rights of individual citizens." This was found at http://www.maine.gov/foaa/.

Concealed carry permits at this time are public records. I propose this information should be available to local, regional and state law enforcement and/or the issuing agency and a legislative body should amend the wording which makes these public records.

There is a part of the FOAA which is being overlooked and that is the privacy rights of individual citizens. The government of Maine should be working at double time to address this issue and get it fixed.

This information has the potential to hurt the folks who do not have concealed carry permits more so than those of us who do. It is my hopes BDN gets the information they need for their research (numbers), and nothing more. The argument is along the lines of the First Amendment.

We have freedom of speech but we can not yell "fire" in a crowded theater. My purpose has been met and in the course of writing these esteemed individuals, it has occurred to me we need to propose, vote for and amend any document which violates the privacy rights of individuals. Thank you for your time and Semper Fidelis.

Dennis J. Bowden Jr.

CWO3 USMC Retired

Norway

Editor's Note: The newspaper referred to was not the New York Times but The Journal News in White Plains, NY.