whospackingny.com is a misleading url. The site doesn’t publish a list of The Empire State’s concealed carry permit holders. It’s offers a database of all New York residents who have a permit to own a gun. Why? Just ’cause it can. Here’s the bit at the top of their home page justifying their love. (Whatever love is.)
5. Filing of approved applications. The application for any license, if granted, shall be filed by the licensing officer with the clerk of the county of issuance, except that in the city of New York and, in the counties of Nassau and Suffolk, the licensing officer shall designate the place of filing in the appropriate division, bureau or unit of the police department thereof, and in the county of Suffolk the county clerk is hereby authorized to transfer all records or applications relating to firearms to the licensing authority of that county. The name and address of any person to whom an application for any license has been granted shall be a public record.
The site recommends that anyone who’s unhappy at this public display of ballistic affection should contact their legislators and change the statute. Hard to argue with that one. Or the hysterical (in a good way) response by safeinohio over at democraticunderground.com . . .
Seems everyone would want to be on this list. The crooks would be afraid to break in an armed home. One does not have to own a gun to have a CCW. I’ve seen people take the course with a rented gun. Like wise, there is no guarantee that some one on the Brady list does not own a gun. There is no serious potential. Most break-in artist do little to no background checks. That is most, not all. 99% of criminals are not criminals because of their high intellectual status. Just visit your local jail and you’ll find this out.
Then there are the presses rights according to the First Amendment. That would make public records fair game.
I’ve seen a case where a criminal gang broke into expensive home in the country that had fake deer targets in the yard because they figured they had guns and bows. That is easy. Cross checking data bases is time consuming and would be unlikely.
Looking for a NRA bumper sticker on the truck would be so much easier. Then you’d have to figure out weather a gun in the home is an invitation to a crime, or a deterrence. That’d be a toss up.