By Ken Hanson

By publishing lists of persons who have obtained concealed handgun licenses, newspapers such as the Sandusky Register have taken private, non-public record information and made it public. Specifically, because of their actions, the general public may now know who owns and may or may not carry a gun. Additionally, the general public now knows who is not carrying a gun in their day to day activities.

Beyond the fact that The Register has now made public that which statutorily was not to be public, what harm can come from this? Buckeye Firearms Association previously brought you the story of a prison guard who was tracked down by a former inmate by using a concealed carry license list published in the local paper. However, beyond this explicit example, the general public remains largely unaware of just how much harm can come from this.

So, as a service to our readers, we have prepared an example by using Sandusky Register Editor Matt H. Westerhold. We have selected him simply because the paper has pointed to him as the one “responsible” for the decision to publish the lists. However, it would have been just as easy, and valid, to do it with Register publisher Doug Phares or Register owner David Rau (or, for that matter, decision-makers at the Cleveland Plain Dealer, NBC24 Toledo, the Lorain Morning Journal, the Sidney Daily News, the Toledo City Paper, the Troy Daily News and the Warren Tribune-Chronicle, who have also irresponsibly acted to release this private information on at least one occasion in the past).

Click 'Read More' for the entire commentary.