[Japle]

Tonight on the 6:00 news, WFTV, channel 9 in Orlando, ran a story on CCW in Florida. It contained the usual misinformation, but at the end they announced that anyone could see a list of all the CCW holders in the Central Florida area on their website.

http://www.wftv.com/news/5272863/detail.html

Not only are all the names on there, but also all the addresses.

I ask EVERYONE to get on this site and email them. Click "Contact WFTV" near the top right and send your comments to Programming.


I told them:
I have trouble believing that you would be so irresponsible as to publish a list of all concealed carry permit holders in the area. Don’t you realize this is nothing but a “steal guns here” list?
This may be public information, but why go out of your way to endanger your viewers? Why put their property and lives at risk?
I have watched your news for the last time. I will be so informing your local advertisers.

Get on this right now!!

John
Cape Canaveral

 

[LSCurrier]

Your exactly right.

That station is totally irresponsible!!

Luke

 

[Bulldog Six]

I just saw the same information posted to a list sponsored by one of the people I train with. Unbelievably irresponsible (not to mention the sloppy reporting, e.g., "....especially now that Florida law allows the use of deadly force if someone feels their life or property is being threatened.") [Empasis mine]

776.012 Use of force in defense of person.--A person is justified in using force, except deadly force, against another when and to the extent that the person reasonably believes that such conduct is necessary to defend himself or herself or another against the other's imminent use of unlawful force. However, a person is justified in the use of deadly force and does not have a duty to retreat if:

(1) He or she reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the imminent commission of a forcible felony...

I will provide the station with the above citation, along with a letter of disappointment and criticism for extremely poor judgment. What possible benefit in the public interest is served by publishing a list of law-abiding people who are now known to the world at large to own firearms?

Addendum: Decided not to wait until tomorrow. Below is the text of the note I sent via the WFTV website. I'm sending the statute citation, which lays bare thier incorrect portrayal of our law, separately.

For the General Manager:

Dear Sir/Madam,

The purpose of my note is to express my deep disappointment at the poor judgment exercised by WFTV its sensational publication of the by-name list of concealed weapon license holders in Central Florida.

In so doing, you have done nothing to serve the public's interest or right to know, both of which could have been amply addressed in citing the number of licenses by county. I wish that were the extent of the potential damage you've caused.

Unfortunately, in calling attention to the names and addresses of people who lawfully own and sometimes carry firearms in Central Florida, you have endangered each of them by making this information much more readily available to criminals who could use it in the planning and execution of burglaries and/or home invasions for the express purpose of stealing firearms.

Please don't attempt to justify this bad judgment by saying that the same information is available from the state of Florida, which is true. WFTV's needless, by-name disclosure of licensees makes it that much easier for those law-abiding firearms owners to be targeted by criminals.

I ask that you remove this information from your website immediately, since it serves no legitimate public interest, and may even place citizens at risk for their personal safety.

You are more than welcome to call me to confirm or discuss this, but you do not have my permission to use my name, phone number or address in conjunction with any public citation of my letter, in whole or in part.

Sincerely,

....................................................

 

[NaturalSelector]

Sent my pissed off letter as well as letters to the below vendors that advertise on their website.
The medicine shop, bellsouth, and publix.

I also sent an email to the NRA/ NRA legal team requesting they send a formal letter stating their own displeasure.

I also emailed my local senators informing them of the situation.

 

[Xori Ruscuv]

It disgusts me to see this sort of thing happening. Not only is it an easy way to make CCW holders victims of criminals, but it is also a violation of privacy.

I will send an email though I am not a Florida resident.

 

[kjhof]

You Florida gun rights advocates have the political clout--you need to ramrod legislation protecting the privacy of CCW license holders (I know--getting lectured on fighting for gun rights by an Illinois resident is pretty funny, but I think you folks could get something like that through, and this incident shows how necessary it is).

 

[rhino465]

I tried to look at the lists, but they're a little too big for my pokey dial-up connection.:mummy:

I wonder if they tried to screw all of the non-resident licensees as well.

 

[Bulldog Six]

Kjhof: I am going to take this up with both my State Senator and Representative, as well as Governor Bush's office.

Rhino465: The lists are simple Excel spreadsheets (although they are rather large, over 14,000 names in Orange County alone), one for each of six Central Florida counties. It's not the entire state's worth of names.

 

[kjhof]

Bulldog, that's a good move. Looking back at my post, I may have come across as "yelling" at you Florida folks, and that wasn't at all my intention. It would be, after all, pretty ridiculous coming from someone in Illinois. Florida leads the way in pro-gun legislation, I honestly thought privacy protections were already in place. By the way, writing your legislators and governor is definitely good, but getting the NRA involved in pushing for that kind of legislation might be even better--you might drop them a line, too.

 

[Bulldog Six]

kjhof - point well taken, and no offense previously, brother.

I sent the station General Manager a follow-up note this morning via the station website.

----------------
For the General Manager:

As a followup to my note to you last night about publicizing the list of concealed weapon license holders, it's important that you also know that your reporter made a gross mis-statement of fact concerning Florida's so-called "no duty to retreat" law. The gross mis-characterization of the law is sloppy reporting and editing at best, and a blatant bias against the lawful bearing of arms for self-protection at worst.

In making the statement, regarding the number of legally authorized persons carrying concealed weapons in Central Florida, "That worries many people, especially now that Florida law allows the use of deadly force if someone feels their life or property is being threatened," the reporter made a factual, inflammatory mis-statement about the law. This may serve to generate needless fear and anxiety, but nothing of useful value.

The section of the relevant Florida statute says:

"Use of force in defense of person.--A person is justified in using force, except deadly force, against another when and to the extent that the person reasonably believes that such conduct is necessary to defend himself or herself or another against the other's imminent use of unlawful force. However, a person is justified in the use of deadly force and does not have a duty to retreat if...he or she reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the imminent commission of a forcible felony..."

In leaving your audience with the impression that the law allows the use of deadly force for mere property crimes, WFTV has made a mis-statement of fact that begs for correction.

I would ask that WFTV air (and publish on its website) a correction about its reporter's mis-characterization of Florida law.

As before, you are more than welcome to contact me for clarification or discussion, but not to use my name, address or any other identifying information in any public context, broadcast or print.

Sincerely,
----------------------

Naturally, I'm not exactly holding my breath waiting to see the correction appear....

 

[redgldn]

Information restricted??

I went to the site and looked at one of the lists. I noticed some names had "information restricted" where the address should appear. I wonder how one gets their name on the address restricted list. :scratch:

Disgusting, irresponsible, use of position as a "news" reporting agency.

Letters are on their way.

 

[cobra04]

Just an update. I still haven't received a response from the school yet. If anyone has, I would like to know what you wrote and what the reply was.

 

[kjhof]

Cobra, did you mean to post that in this thread?

 

[cobra04]

yep sure did...sorry about that

 

[MattLarson]

I went to the site and looked at one of the lists. I noticed some names had "information restricted" where the address should appear. I wonder how one gets their name on the address restricted list. :scratch:

If you are an LEO, firefighter or EMS provider, your information is restricted in a number of state databases.

Matt

 

[NaturalSelector]

Well here is the indepth retort that I received...

"Your e-mail has been forwarded to the news director. "

Well now I feel much better...

 

[kjhof]

Ooohh...guess they told you!

 

[MattLarson]

The good news

Is that they may have just violated 790.335 of the Florida Statutes, in that they presented these lists in the context of being a registry of firearm owners......

I hope someone with standing sues. I'd love to see an all-shooting broadcast lineup!

Matt

 

[NaturalSelector]

Is that they may have just violated 790.335 of the Florida Statutes, in that they presented these lists in the context of being a registry of firearm owners......

I hope someone with standing sues. I'd love to see an all-shooting broadcast lineup!

Matt

Someone else has suggested this to me, unfortunately the law is definitely not a strong point of mine. I am hoping a lawyer will chime in and provide some more indepth information.

 

[NaturalSelector]

Ok... Well here is an update. I contacted the city clerk and the city manager. They stated this information had to be obtained from the Police department..

I contacted the local LEO and they sent me to the Captain for questions. I left a VM discussing the situation and I hope to receive a call back from the Captain... I am already lost in bureaucracy haha :biglaugh:

Will update.