Rockland County Clerk Claims "Gun Maps" Outdated, Inaccurate
New York's Journal News has hired armed security guards after receiving a barrage of criticism over its recent decision to publish interactive maps with the names and addresses of licensed gun owners.
What's more, according to the Rockland County Times, a relentless critic of the Journal since the maps were published, the information used to build the maps in the first place may be "grossly inaccurate."
Paul Piperato, the Rockland County Clerk, said at a recent press conference that about "25% of the addresses" provided by the County Clerk's office were incorrect.
When persons change their address or pass away it is supposed to be reported to the County Clerk's office, but the county has no means to vigorously enforce this regulation. Thus pistol permit and other permit registries are not reliably accurate as a source of addresses in Rockland.
Back in 2006, the Journal News ran a similar story, but Piperato convinced them to publish only names and towns of the permit holders, leaving addresses out of it. The Journal News has yet to comment on the accuracy of the maps, although it has defended the decision to publish them.