Newspaper Page Text
R A gR K
Government wrong
to collect, release data
on gun ownership
In the wake of the trag
edy in Connecticut last
month, a newspaper serv
ing the New York City
suburbs decided to post
to its Web site the names
and addresses of all of
the legal gun owners in
three counties. Gun own
ers were outraged. In
response a blogger posted
the names and addresses
of the key players at the
newspaper’s editorial
staff. The paper accessed
the names and addresses
via a Freedom of
Information request
which makes most gov
ernment data available to
the public.
This is a blatant mis
use of government data
and the government is
complicit in that misuse.
The state of New York
requires all handguns be
registered. That means
that in order to exercise
their Second Amendment
rights, a law abiding citi
zen must request permis
sion from the state of
New York, something
they don’t have to do
with the freedom of reli
gion, speech or anything
else in the Constitution.
(This doesn’t apply to
owning a rifle, only hand
guns.)
‘Bad enough that citi
zens must ask, but what’s
worse, New York is a
“may issue” state, which
means that the state has
the right to say “no, you
are not allowed to exer
cise your Second
Amendment right.”
A denial can only be
overturned in court if the
denial is shown to be
arbitrary and capricious.
It doesn’t matter if you
believe you have a good
reason or need it for self
defense, what matters is
whether or not you can
convince them that you
need it for self-defense.
So now that the gov--
ernment of New York has
forced its citizens to beg
for permission in order to”
exercise their constitu
tional right to bear arms,
it then keeps all their
names and addresses in a
database that it then
shares with just about
anyone who asks.
This is a bonanza for
criminals. Now they
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VINCE COYNER
Columnist
know where they can go
to steal guns. Or they can
know in advance which
homes will require extra
firepower or more men
because the owner may
be armed. What's more,
criminals are now able to
use the database to harass
and threaten police and
prison guards and their
families.
At the same time, vic
tims who have fled
domestic abuse and who
have successfully navi
gated the gun licensing
maze now have their
names and addresses
published for their tor
menters to find.
This is a clear example
of an abuse of govern
ment power.
If a citizen is law abid
ing, and has gone through
all of the hoops that gov
ernment has established,
does the government then
have the right to provide
that citizen’s information
to the public?
That is a circular argu
ment: The government
imposes severe restric
tions and registration
requirements in order for
citizens to exercise their
rights, then because the
government has collected
that data they say their
hands are tied and they
must provide it to the
public.
Well, if that’s the case,
then shouldn’t income
and tax information be
made public? The gov
ernment forces people to
pay taxes and keeps tax
information on every per
son. Shouldn’t the gov
ernment make that data
available to anyone who
asks? Of course not. That
would be ludicrous.
The question is howev
er; what makes tax and
income data any more
privileged than the notion
. that someone feels a need
to protect their home and
family?
Losing your personal
information is no doubt a
In any generation, there
must be respect for rules
JULIANNE BOLING
Columnist
When are we going to
look at the present
situation of our world as
being the same old same
old? Are we going to
admit anytime soon that
the problems in society
cannot be cured by
simply addressing one
situation as the cause?
Are we going to claim the
cause of violence as the
responsibility of the
industries that make
games and movies?
It seems irresponsible
to just point fingers at
industries and neglect the
responsibility of families
to control behavior of
their children. It seems to
be irresponsible for
society to dump into the
schools all the problems
of our culture and expect
teachers to “cure” bad
habits established in
homes. Are we satisfied
to blame one area or
another and take no
responsibility for what is
happening to our culture?
In 1991, I wrote these
words: “Are we deaf,
blind and dumb? Are our
young people really
listening to music that
glorifies suicide,
satanism, drug and
alcohol use, rape, incest,
sadomasochism, and all
those other woes of
society?”
More than 20 years ago
.we were questioning the
music the kids were
hearing and the ideas that
were depicted in movies
and on television. We
were saying all the things
then that we are saying
now, that society is
responsible for the
actions of youth. In the
*9os the music depicted
all of the above subjects
as being acceptable, but
kids would remark that
no one listened to the
words they just liked the
beat.
Now we are in the
midst of young people as
well as young adults
doing the unthinkable,
killing innocent people.
And, again, we want to
blame the music, the
texting, the attitudes of
youth for acting out what
they are seeing and
hearing in the media?
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bad thing, but worse is
losing your life because
Some newspaper gave a
criminal the heads up
about what to expect
when they broke into
your house. Just as there
is no compelling reason
for the government to
open up its tax database
to the public, there is no
compelling reason for the
government to open up
its gun permit database to
the public. :
It’s situations like this
that make gun owners
weary of registering their
weapons in the first
place.
Government collects
massive amounts of data
on its citizens. From driv
er’s licenses to arrest
records to the medicines
you take, the government
at all levels has a great
deal ofsinformation on
every citizen. Because
the government has that
data - often coercing citi-
Zens to provide it — does
that automatically mean
that information is avail
able to the public?
Obviously not.
Freedom of Infor
mation Act and govern
ment sunshine laws pro
vide an important tool for
citizens who seek to
monitor government
activity. Those laws
should not be used to
invade the privacy of law
abiding citizens, whether
it has to do with taxes,
gun ownership or any -
other law-abiding activi
ty.
As despicable as the
newspaper’s actions
were, they were enabled
by a government that
misunderstands its
responsibilities as they
relate to protecting the
information it collects on
the citizens, which sim
ply demonstrates that the
more power government
accumulates the more
opportunities it will have
to negatively impact the
lives of its citizens. Or
put another way, small
government equals big
freedom while big gov
ernment equals small
freedom.
Vince Coyner is a Forsyth
County resident and a regu
lar columnist.
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. When do we begin to
realize that there are
children and young
people who are not using
violence and bullying as
a way to gain popularity?
When are we going to
acknowledge that there
are parents who are
teaching their children to
choose right behavior
over wrong? When will
we notice those good
students and parents who
are supportive of the right
activities and will stand
firm against the wrong
ones?
It is at a time like now
that I realize the
advantages of growing up
in a time when only one
parent worked and one
stayed at home. There
was a constant
observance of how we
behaved and our parents
were not afraid to punish
inappropriate behavior. A
very wise man once told
me that to have respect
you must first know fear.
Fear of the consequences
makes us respect the rules
and the law. I believe that
is still true.
Cumming resident Julianne
Boling’s column appears
each Sunday.
forsythnews.com | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS|
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(X Republican Party to
¥ Hold Precinct Mass Meetings
On Saturday, February 9, 2013, ar 10:00AM, the Forsyth County Republican
Party will convene Precincr Mass Meetings to elect Precinct Officers and Delegates
and Alternate Delegates to the Forsyth County Republican Party Convention.
All Forsyth County residents who are legally registered to vote and believe in
the principles of the Republican Party are urged to participate in this process.
Registration will open at 9:OOAM on February 9, 2013 at Forsyth Central High
School, located at 520 Tribble Gap Road, Cumming, Georgia 30040.
The Forsyth County Republican Party Convention will convene at 10:00AM on
March 9, 2013 at South Forsyth High School, located at 585 Peachtree Parkway,
Cumming, Georgia 30041, to elect County officers, as well as Delegates and
Alternates to the Congressional District Conventions and State Convention.
Additionally, the County Convention will be adopting the Rules of the County
Republican Party and conducting all other necessary and proper business. Delegates
and Altefnates will be required to pay a fee, which is to cover the cost of the
County Convention. For more information, visit www.forsythgop.org.
The Seventh Congtessional District Convention will convene on Saturday, April
20, 2013, at 10:00AM at a location to be announced. The purpose of the Seventh
Congressional District Convention is to elect District officers and members
of the State Republican Committee. Additionally, the Seventh Congressional
District Convention will be adopting the Rules of the Seventh Congressional
District Republican Party and conducting all other necessary and proper business.
Delegates and Alternates will be required to pay a fee, which is to cover the cost
of the Convention. For more information, visit www.gagop?7.com.
The Ninth Congressional District Convention will convene on Saturday, April
20, 2013, at 10:00AM at Lakeview Center, located at 2057 Dawson Forest Road
East, Dawsonville, GA 30534. The purpose of the Ninth Congressional District
Convention is to elect District officers and members of the State Republican
Committee. Additionally, the Ninth Congressional District Convention will be
adopting the Rules of the Ninth Congressional District Republican Party and
conducting all other necessary and proper business. Delegates and Alternates
will be required to pay a fee, which is to cover the cost of the Convention. For
more information, visit www.gagop9.org
The Georgia Republican Party State Convention will convene on Friday, May 17,
2013 — Saturday, May 18, 2013, at the Classic Center, 300 North Thomas Street,
Athens, Georgia 30601 and will be electing State Officers and conducting all other
necessary and proper business. Delegates and Alternates will be required to pay
. a fee, which is to cover the cost of the Convention. If a Delegate or Alternate
requests a waiver of the fee for inability to pay, that request will be considered and
a determination made as to whether a waiver is in order. For more information,
visit www.gagop.org
Registration and participation at the Precinct Mass Meeting, County
Convention, District Convention or State Convention is not allowed after
the event’s designated start time. :
For further information contact Ethan Underwood, Chairman of the Forsyth
County Republican Party, at 770-842-1007 or chairman@forsythgop.org.
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