(photo: lohud.com)

At the end of December, the Journal News published a detailed map cataloging all of the handgun permit owners in Westchester and Rockland counties, a move that caused much controversy among both gun rights and privacy advocates who felt the map placed figurative targets on the highlighted households. This evening, the publication announced it was was pulling the map, but claimed it was due to New York State's new gun control law, passed at the start of the week, rather than a response to criticism.

"Today The Journal News has removed the permit data from lohud.com. Our decision to do so is not a concession to critics that no value was served by the posting of the map in the first place," Journal News publisher Janet Hasson explained. "On the contrary, we’ve heard from too many grateful community members to consider our decision to post information contained in the public record to have been a mistake. Nor is our decision made because we were intimidated by those who threatened the safety of our staffers. We know our business is a controversial one, and we do not cower."

Because handgun permit information is now classified as private information, not subject to Freedom of Information Law requests, Ms. Hasson said that the map simply lost value to the newspaper's readers.

"But the database has been public for 27 days and we believe those who wanted to view it have done so already," she continued. "As well, with the passage of time, the data will become outdated and inaccurate....[W]e will keep a snapshot of our map--with all its red dots-- on our website to remind the community that guns are a fact of life we should never forget."

Update (7:12 p.m.): Senator Greg Ball, who has waged a passionate crusade against the Journal News' map, released a statement entitled, "VICTORY AGAINST IDIOCY AT JOURNAL NEWS":

"Thank God the Journal News has finally realized the error in their judgment and done the right thing. Whether they did this responding to the public's outcry or because they were simply fearful of getting sued due to the rash of burglaries and threats against law enforcement and victims of domestic violence, we will never know. Regardless, I am proud to have passed legislation keeping the Journal News from doing this ever again and proud to have been shoulder to shoulder with thousands of residents who were dealt a crappy hand by the eggheads at the Journal News. I look forward to them creating an interactive map of level three sexual predators, rapists and felons with illegal gun purchases, but I won't hold my breath."

The Journal News' map of gun owners' addresses.

In his interview on the Brooklyn GOP Radio podcast this evening, NRA President David Keene was asked about the controversial articles on Gawker and in the Journal News that contained lists of gun owners. Mr. Keene blamed the stories on cultural differences that he said exist between "elite media" and the rest of American society.

"The whole battle over the Second Amendment has little to do with crime or any of these things" Mr. Keene said. "It has to do with culture and the view that different people have about what kind of a country this ought to be."

Mr. Keene explained that he believes the media has adopted an anti-gun perspective because liberal reporters see gun ownership as antithetical to their values.

"It wasn't until the culture wars of the late 1960's, 70's and 80's that, all of a sudden, the Second Amendment became anathema to liberals who viewed it, really I think culturally, as a as symbol of an America they didn't like, an America in which people took responsibility for themselves and for the protection of their families, an America which didn't look to the state for the answer to all of its problems," said Mr. Keene. "And the media, the elite media, if anything, represents that view more than almost any segment of our society."

The Journal News' map of gun owners in Westchester and Rockland counties included their home addresses. Gawker's post was a list of gun owners in New York City that didn't have addresses, but the story's author, John Cook, said he tried to obtain that information and added links to sites where address information could be found. Mr. Keene claimed the media outlets revealing the addresses of gun owners had "tremendously terrible consequences."

"What happened there in New York with the posting of the legitimate, licensed pistol owners in Rockland County and others has had tremendously terrible consequences. As you know, now prison guards had their home addresses listed by that newspaper and are now under threat from prisoners and their allies outside," Mr. Keene said. "This was an incredibly irresponsible thing that was an attempt by this elite to demonize people who own firearms legitimately."

Gawker's post originally referred to New York City's gun owners as "assholes." Mr. Keene cited this as proof of the media's prejudice against firearms enthusiasts.

"In the minds of these people, folks that own firearms are evil," he said. "You saw how the--when the Gawker website listed all these people what they described them as. And I'm not going to repeat it on the air, but the fact of the matter is, that they see anyone who is involved in the shooting sports, who owns a firearm for whatever reason as somebody that they hate."

Mr. Keene said the media's demonization of gun owners resulted in him and NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre receiving "hundreds of death threats" in the aftermath of last months massacre in Newtown, Connecticut. He finished discussing the issue by reiterating his view that media bias against guns is caused by cultural differences and not any concern about violence.

"It's a result not of a concern about crime, but about the vast cultural differences between these elites and the rest of us in this society."

Politicker attempted to speak with Mr. Keene after his interview, but he declined to answer our questions.

(Photo: Facebook)

State Senator Greg Ball, hasn't been quiet about his disagreement with the Journal News' decision to publish the names and addresses of handgun owners in Westchester and Rockland counties and he isn't done with the publication just yet. Mr. Ball, who began his day by tweeting, "Woooohooooooo!!! Get up! Hook up! Shuffle to the door! One day closer to victory! One day closer to more! Get 'em!" continued his energized performance in the opening moments of a K104 radio interview, declaring, "I'm motivated! How about you? Ready for a push-up contest?"

("Glad he didn't come into the studio," one of the hosts remarked after Mr. Ball left.)

On the show, Mr. Ball repeatedly argued the Journal News is fundamentally flawed news organization, while addressing the various points of criticism against them.

"You've got to understand, the Journal News is just a liberal, liberal, liberal rag. I think, Amy, I called them 'egg-heats' not 'boneheads,' but both apply, "Mr. Ball said, for example, after he was asked to explain a "bonehead" comment he allegedly made. "They're to the left of the left."

The state senator also mocked the publication for hiring armed guards in the wake of the controversy despite the fact the paper was threatened with an envelope of white powder yesterday.

"In their ivory tower view of the world, which is so screwed up, they actually believe...that law-abiding gun owners, who are paying their taxes and protecting their family, they believe from their ivory tower that they're a bunch of yahoos. They believe that they are part of the problem," Mr. Ball continued. "God forbid they post an interactive map of those who have a prior, illegal history of purchasing illegal firearms, which are attributed to over 95 percent of the crimes. They didn't do that. That would have been too tough. They take people who are obeying the law and publicly expose them. The minute that they get a little heat in their direction, and their names and addresses are out there, they become staunch defenders of the Second Amendment and hire mercenaries with guns to protect them! These bigwigs at the Journal News now have armed guards.

Mr. Ball also expressed disbelief that Putnam County, which has resisted the Journal News' request for handgun owners' names and addresses, will fold. Indeed, Mr. Ball will be holding a press conference later today to emphasize that point.

"The Journal News can come on in with their snot-nosed attorneys and do whatever the hell they want, but I can tell you, from this state senator, it'll be a cold day in hell before I bend to the Journal News," he said, adding when asked if he has ever had a conversation with the organization, "There are a lot of good reporters at the Journal News. Having a conversation with the editors of the Journal News, I mean, I'd rather have a root canal. I do have the opportunity to go before them every two years and ask for an endorsement that I wouldn't accept if it came with a million dollars."

At the end, Mr. Ball was asked if he thought relations would ever warm between himself and the Journal News.

"The Journal News can kiss my white, Irish, you-know-what," he replied.

The Journal News' map of gun owners' addresses.

Putnam County doesn't want to help the Journal News newspaper with its map of gun owner's home addresses. To make the controversial map, the newspaper used addresses obtained from a Freedom of Information Act request for pistol permit records from Westchester and Rockland Counties. They made a similar request in Putnam, but  County Executive MaryEllen Odell and County Clerk Denis Sant plan to announce their decision not to release the records at a press conference this afternoon.

Ms. Odell and Mr. Sant will be joined by State Senator Greg Ball, who called the paper's editors "asinine" for publishing the map, which has caused nationwide controversy, in a strongly-worded statement last week. Mr. Ball's office sent out an advisory about the conference yesterday.

"Senator Greg Ball will join Putnam County Clerk, Dennis Sant and other officials on Thursday at the Putnam County Clerk’s office to announce that Putnam County will not be releasing the records of Putnam Pistol Permits to the Journal News," the advisory said.

When the paper initially published the maps of the homes of gun owners in Westchester and Rockland, a note was included that said the map of Putnam would be forthcoming because the County was "still putting together its records and could not immediately provide any data." The press conference in Putnam County is scheduled for noon at Mr. Sant's office.

Senator Greg Ball. (Photo: Facebook)

Over the weekend, The Journal News newspaper published maps with the addresses and names of pistol permit holders in Westchester and Rockland Counties. The information for the map was legally obtained by the paper through a Freedom of Information Act request, but it sparked a nationwide controversy among those who considered the map a privacy violation. This morning, State Senator Greg Ball weighed in by proposing legislation to keep gun records private and prevent the publication of similar stories in the future. He also blasted "the asinine editors at The Journal News” who published the map.

"The asinine editors at The Journal News have once again gone out of their way to place a virtual scarlet letter on law-abiding firearm owners throughout the region. The immediate elimination of the information posted on the Journal News website is the only way we can ensure the safety and liberty of these New Yorkers," said Mr. Ball in a statement. "This is clearly a violation of privacy, and needs to be corrected immediately. The same elitist eggheads who use their editorial page to coddle terrorists and criminals are now treating law-abiding citizens like level three sexual predators."

Mr. Ball vowed to introduce a bill in the State Senate that would ban disclosure of information in pistol license applications except to law enforcement officials involved in active investigations. Similar legislation has already been proposed in the State Assembly. In his statement, Mr. Ball described The Journal News’s map as placing peoples' lives in danger.

"The Journal News has placed the lives of these folks at risk by creating a virtual shopping list for criminals and nut jobs," Mr. Ball said. "Publishing this information on a website provides criminals with a map of where they can steal firearms from lawful owners for later use in the commission of crimes. Preventing the theft of guns and their criminal misuse is an important public-policy goal. This map is bad for the good guys and good for the bad guys."

In addition to the maps of pistol owners in Westchester and Rockland Counties, The Journal News plans to publish a map of pistol permit holders in Putnam County. The paper published a similar story in 2006.