The Discerning Texan
All that is necessary for evil to triumph, is for good men to do nothing.
-- Edmund Burke
-- Edmund Burke
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
UPDATED Tennessee Newspaper Declares War on Concealed Weapons Permit holders
If you are a thief wanting to steal some guns, Nashville is the place for you. The Nashville Tennesseean is publishing names and addresses of all concealed weapons holders. But they may have stirred up the hornet's nest.
This is taking journalistic responsibility to new lows, and is yet another example of how laden our newsrooms are with the disease of Stalinist Political Correctness.
UPDATE: Glenn serves up fresh crow for Andrew Sullivan to eat (emphasis mine):
This is taking journalistic responsibility to new lows, and is yet another example of how laden our newsrooms are with the disease of Stalinist Political Correctness.
UPDATE: Glenn serves up fresh crow for Andrew Sullivan to eat (emphasis mine):
Andrew Sullivan asks: "If gun rights are civil rights, why would anyone feel the need to hide the fact that they own one?"
I think the short answer is that gun rights are about security, and we'd rather keep the criminals guessing. In addition, doubt about who owns guns generates what economists call "positive externalities," meaning that if a substantial proportion of homeowners have guns, or if a nontrivial number of people out-and-about are carrying concealed guns, potential burglars or assailants have to allow for the possibility that a victim or someone in the neighborhood might be armed. That produces a deterrent effect that benefits even those who do not possess guns This is why, for example, we see fewer burglaries of occupied homes in the United States than in countries like Britain with strict gun controls -- breaking into an occupied home is dangerous. Meanwhile, on a more personal level, those who are armed would prefer to have the advantage of surprise. I should also note that there's a difference between owning guns (the "keep and bear" business) and carrying guns, which is what the whole CCW permit thing is about. That distinction is explained at some length here.But I'll turn the question around: If abortion is a civil right, why would anyone object to having a newspaper publish a searchable database of people who've had one?
I'm not ashamed! But some people might worry about prejudice from the "unenlightened and unsophisticated."
Labels: Carry Laws, Media Bias, PC, Right to Bear Arms, The Left
