Would you want to know if your neighbor has a gun? A newspaper in upstate New York  has come under heavy criticism from many of its readers after it went ahead and published the identities of all of the people with handgun or pistol permits in its coverage area last Sunday.

Hundreds of residents in Westchester and Rockland counties were shocked to find their names and addresses listed on a map posted by The Journal News on Sunday in its online edition. Users could click any dot on the map to see which of their neighbors has a permit for a gun.

The Journal News
The Journal News
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In a statement to ABC News, The Journal News says its readers “are understandably interested to know about guns in their neighborhoods,” because of the conversation about gun control on its website after the shooting in Newtown,Connecticut, last week.

Many readers were upset to find their information listed, much like the lists for sex offenders. One gun owner pointing out that owning a gun is legal and he did not like being posted in an article that made it look like he had done something wrong.

 

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