The "Journal News Gun Map" aids burglars in White Plains case

By TIMOTHY O'CONNOR and MEGHAN E. MURPHY

A White Plains residence pinpointed on a controversial handgun permit database was burglarized Saturday, and the burglars' target was the homeowner's gun safe.

At least two burglars broke into a home on Davis Avenue at 9:30 p.m. Saturday but were unsuccessful in an attempt to open the safe, which contained legally owned weapons, according to a law enforcement source. One suspect was taken into custody, the source said.

The homeowner's name and address were included recently on the controversial interactive map of gun permit holders in Westchester and Rockland counties published on The Journal News' website.

Neighbor John Mascia said he thought the gun permit database should not have been published.  "I could [not] care less what they have in their home," Mascia said.

The Journal News has been the target of sharp criticism from gun rights advocates and some media ethicists since running the story and interactive map Dec. 23.

Although some good-government groups have come to the defense of the White Plains-based newspaper, some elected officials, including State Sen. Greg Ball (R)-Patterson, have complained the permit map could aid criminals.

If the connection is proven, this is further proof that these maps are not only an invasion of privacy but that they present a clear and present danger to law-abiding, private citizens," Ball said Sunday in a statement.

On Monday, Ball will introduce a third bill into the state Legislature intended to keep the names of those who have gun permits private.


http://newyork.newsday.com/news/nation/journal-news-gun-permit-map-used-by-burglars-to-target-white-plains-home-1.4441678