Posted on 03/13/2007 8:32:22 AM PDT by Perseverando
The *****TREMENDOUS***** pressure that you guys just put on the Roanoke Times was of a magnitude that even I had never seen before.
It was akin to watching a nuclear bomb go off.
The Roanoke Times has taken the CHP database off their site, using as an excuse that some of the data perhaps shouldn't have been made public: how about the home address of the Chief Justice of the Virginia Supreme Court for starters?
The truth is that they owe gun owners a sincere and front page apology for having a massive lapse in judgement.
It would also be appropriate to give Mr. Trejbal the boot, too.
EM Dave Yates put it this way, "The Roanoke times has removed the criminal shopping list database of VA CHP holders not because of the pleas of battered spouses with permits, domestic violence victims, and permit holders who've testified against criminals in open court, but because they are concerned some data may be inaccurate! The Roanoke Times want to be ABSOLUTELY SURE the criminals know what houses to hit."
Since there is no apology, nor firm statement saying that the CHP database will never be resurrected, VCDL is continuing to look at a host of options to make it much less likely that the database will be reappearing.
We also still have the Fredericksburg Freelance-Star on the list for their publishing of local Fredericksburg CHP holders.
As soon as we finish vetting our options internally, I will discuss our plan of action.
BTW, I was interviewed by a Roanoke Times reporter today and I expect a story on this tomorrow. He was very professional and I was brutally frank with him about this whole issue.
Here is the Roanoke Times' giving their 'reason' for dropping the database off their site for the time being: http://www.roanoke.com/gunpermits/
The Roanoke Times Removes Database of Handgun Permit Holders March 12, 2007 - The Roanoke Times has decided to remove the online database of registered concealed handgun permit holders from its website.
The newspaper is requesting the Virginia State Police, which provided the information, verify the data.
"When we posted the information, we had every reason to believe that the data the State Police had supplied would comply with the statutes. But people have notified us that the list includes names that should not have been released," said Debbie Meade, president and publisher of The Roanoke Times. "Out of a sense of caution and concern for the public we have decided to take the database off of our website."
The database was posted on roanoke.com on Sunday as part of a New River Valley editorial page column about open records. This column, as well as others that will be published this week, is part of a special focus on Sunshine Week, a national initiative to raise awareness about open government and freedom of information.
--
Here is good coverage by WDBJ, Channel 7 in Roanoke with a statement from VCDL: http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?S=6216271
Roanoke Times pulls concealed gun permit list from web site
The Roanoke Times pulled a list of concealed gun permit holders in Virginia from its web site late Monday afternoon, one day after the list was posted on-line. In a statement, the Times said it was doing so "out of a sense of caution and concern for the public".
The database provided by State Police to the Times was posted on roanoke.com Sunday. The Times says it was part of an editorial page column about public access to government records.
Many concealed permit holders like Kevin Light were outraged to learn more than their names were osted. "The thing I didn't like is your name and address is listed. A person can just type in a community and they can find a list of everyone who has a concealed weapons permit and it's just giving criminals a list of vehicles and homes that have weapons."
The Virginia Citizens Defense League says the posting showed "a mean-spirited streak against law-abiding citizens ... They went way beyond what they should have done under the guise of the first amendment."
"When we posted the information, we had every reason to believe that the data the State Police had supplied would comply with the statutes", the Times said in a statement. "But people have notified us that the list includes names that should not have been released. Out of a sense of caution and concern for the public we have decided to take the database off of our website."
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Some news outlet did the same thing here in Florida and the REPUBLICAN legislature and JEB BUSH passed a law making this illegal.
Yes I am screaming, elections have consequences, so next time "they" want to stay home to send a message think twice
No kiddin. I wonder how Mr. Trejbal would feel if he knew his full name, address, social security number, driving record, criminal record, tax records, etc., were posted in full view of the public.
Nothing like a dose of one's own medicine.
Not here, though. It would put FreeRepublic at risk of lawsuits so the Moderator would pull it immediately. People were doing that yesterday.
Oh, I understand that completely. Too bad the RT or Mr. Trejbal have difficulty grasping that concept.
Open records, huh? Publishing such personal information without express permission beforehand violates the right to personal privacy and may constitute harrassment. So threaten to publish the names, addresses and home phone numbers of the Roanoke Times staff.
Absolutely not.
This is not over by a long shot (pun intended).
I'm not a Virginia resident, but I'm absolutely thrilled every time I read about the actions taken by this group -- and by the responses/success that they achieve. I love what these guys (and some gals too, I'm sure) are doing. I'm signing up for the e-mail list....
ping
NJJ - You don't have to be a Virginia resident to be a member of VCDL. We have members from all over the country and in a few other countries as well that support our work. It's the best $15 (soon to be $25) a year you can spend to protect your gun rights. As you know we are also working on some national issues as well, such as National Park carry. We'd be glad to have you.
Thanks P8riot, I'd actually had that exact same thought. Got a few big annual bills to pay in the next 2 weeks, then I'm signing up.
I renewed my NRA membership for 5 years, signed up with GOA for a similar contribution, renewed membership at my local range (which is the state NRA affiliate), and am looking for grassroots organizations that actually make a visible and public difference in the fight for RKBA.
I realized a few weeks ago that, in the next 2-4 years, advertising, lobbying, and legal-defense dollars are going to be needed as never before. Liberals/Democrats, by nature, self-implode and start eating each other alive after a while -- so their current power position will not hold for long. But you can bet that they'll do everything they can think of in that short window of time.
As Ben Franklin said: "We must hang together -- or we shall most assuredly hang separately."
Contribute to gun rights organizations! Write letters to the editor and politicians! Don't vote for Giuliani, McCain, or any other gun-grabber RINO! And remember -- there is no such thing as too MUCH ammo!
An appropriate response to this is to publish all the newspaper employees name and addresses up to the owner on a web page.
No kiddin. I wonder how Mr. Trejbal would feel if he knew his full name, address, social security number, driving record, criminal record, tax records, etc., were posted in full view of the public.
It's already been done. Multiple places. On blogs and other internet publications. Both of his addresses. His personal (unlisted) cell phone number. One post recounted the exterior details of his home, including what he was wearing that day. So make no mistake, he's under the microscope. That's what happens when you annoy a bunch of former law enforcement officers, lawyers, private investigators, and a whole bunch of other people in armed professions whose job it is to investigate people. Also, a DHL package was delivered unordered and Trejbal called the bomb squad. Turned out to be blank packing labels and envelopes. DHL has no idea how it got delivered by mistake.
Hmmm.
Open records, huh? Publishing such personal information without express permission beforehand violates the right to personal privacy and may constitute harrassment. So threaten to publish the names, addresses and home phone numbers of the Roanoke Times staff.
Too late. It's already been done. The Roanoke Times is owned by Landmark Communications. The managing editor's name and address have been published, along with the results of a personal questionnaire apparently she published recently.
Very scary, seeing what a bunch of really seriously motivated investigative types do with just a couple of minutes with Zabasearch.
An appropriate response to this is to publish all the newspaper employees name and addresses up to the owner on a web page.
I haven't found them all in one place yet, but I've found pretty much one or another piece of information on quite a few of them in different places. It's being done. Believe me.
Has Zumbo chimed in on the Roanoke Times situation? This would be a perfect venue for his born-again Second Amendmentism.
Oh, irony.
Well, I'm glad to see there are people talking about this journalistic equivalent of a school shooting. Trejbal should at the very least lose his job over this, and at the very most, should be both prosecuted AND sued, especially considering how many people he "outed" whose names and addresses should not have EVER been revealed BY LAW, including battered spouses, people with protection orders, etc.
If they sued him just for the moving expenses alone, with some conservative figures (like 10 percent of the permit holders listed at an average of 1000 dollars to relocate), comes to over a million bucks.
If there's any justice in this world, Christian Trejbal will be penniless, destitute, spurned and hated for the rest of his worthless, tortuous life.
There isn't, of course, but there's no harm in helping justice along.
Those who have a case should sue the pants off him.
DG
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