Making and publishing lists of gun owners

I’m far from the first on this topic but no one I have read has pointed out what comes immediately to mind when I see this sort of thing:

That said, I understand that this will not be well-received everywhere. Some folks complained loudly in the past when, as a matter of routine, this newspaper published the names of those granted permits in Minnehaha County – and likely they will complain loudly now, arguing that it is none of our business whether they have a license to carry a gun.

Some will invoke the Second Amendment, which only protects their right to have guns.

Wrong. The Constitution does not give people the right to own guns. It guarantees that preexisting right will not be infringed (see An Individual Right and search for Cruikshank).

People also have the right to marry someone of a different race–even if it isn’t guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. Should those people be registered? Does the public have the right to know who is in an interracial marriage?

The registration and publication of gun owners and their guns only serves one purpose and that is harassment and discrimination. Bigotry is an ugly thing no matter who is practicing it.

Update: My exact same comments also apply to this article.

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2 thoughts on “Making and publishing lists of gun owners

  1. Good point.
    I wonder if the publishers of this newspaper would have supported the publishing of the marriage licences of mixed race couples in the South during the 60’s. Marriage Licences are a public record after all? Why, it would be censorship to be against this kind of tactic.
    No, they would call it a bigoted hate crime and they would be right.

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