WFTV Orlando "Outs" CCW Permit Holders

Ok, I admit it. I am a gun nut. I like to shoot and I am a responsible gun owner. I took the time to get a permit so I can carry legally. I am trained and I am excruciatingly careful. I guess that is not enough for WFTV Orlando. They want to make sure my neighbors know that I am one of those eeeevil gun carrying wackos...

Here is the article I posted on FreeRepublic:

I am sorry I don't have the original article, but it has been removed from the WFTV web site. They did a big expose this week on the proliferation of concealed carry permit holders in Central Florida. On their web site they had links to excel files containing lists of permit holders by county including names, addresses, birth dates and permit numbers. Of course, that is all a matter of public record, but they made it easy to access and, from what I have been told by those who heard their promos on the TV and radio, they told people to go to their web site to find out which of their neighbors might be carrying. Here is the e-mail I sent to the station:

I would like to know for what purpose your station put links to the CCW permit lists on your website. Were you interested in letting criminals know where they could go to steal guns?

I hope you will be as quick to expose criminals' names and addresses as you are to "out" those law-abiding citizens who just want to be able to protect themselves legally.

And here is the reply I received:

Ms. Aberaussie, thank you for taking the time to share your opinion with us. We take your concerns very seriously, and we understand that you strongly disagree with the station's decision to publish state records identifying concealed weapon permit holders in Central Florida.

While we very much respect your viewpoint, we believe that our story regarding concealed weapon permits, as well as the identities of those who have elected to obtain those permits, is newsworthy and of legitimate concern to the public. The Florida legislature has deemed that the identity of permit holders, including their names, addresses, dates of birth and permit numbers, is public information. While the legislature has determined that law abiding citizens have the right to carry a concealed weapon, it also has determined that their fellow citizens have a right to know who has been granted such a permit.

However, to the extent that you have any continuing concerns about the publication on the station's website of the state's list of permit holders, you should be reassured by the fact that this information is no longer available on the website as a result of the station's normal process of removing dated materials. We hope this will ease any concerns you may have.

Again, we thank you for taking the time to contact us. Please know that we hear you, and we understand your concerns. Hopefully, we can move forward from here with mutual respect and a better understanding of each other's viewpoint on this matter.

Naughtin, Linda (CBI-Orlando TV) [Linda.Naughtin@wftv.com]

Now, I have trouble believing that they removed the links as part of their regular updating process. I checked the site several times during the day on Tuesday, and about mid-afternoon the links to the lists disappeared, but the article was still there. I do know that one person I know who was calling WFTV and Tallahassee regarding the article and the links was told that both the station and the Department of Licensing were flooded with calls. So I did reply to Ms. Naughtin's e-mail suggesting that not only did they have shockingly bad judgment, they also had a tenuous hold on the truth. ;-)

---Katie