In Support of Gawker

Much like when The Journal News decided to publish personal information relating to handgun owners, Gawker now finds itself under fire for engaging in the same sort of activity, publishing a list of gun owners in New York City. Naturally Gawker took it to another level when they decided to refer to every law-abiding gun owner on their list as “assholes,” but that’s just how they roll over there.

While I certainly wouldn’t publish anything like Gawker did, I am not writing this post to trash, attack, or express outrage at them for deciding to publish that information. I won’t be doing anything like that. In fact, I am here to encourage the media to publish MORE of those articles and lists. You read that right: I want more of these; but not for the reason places that have done so might hope.

The reason I want more and more of these articles posted is completely selfish. I want more of them because I believe they actually work against the anti-gun movement and will contribute greatly to their defeat on this issue.

Here’s the deal: no reasonable person believes these folks publish these lists out of a genuine concern for the safety of the community. They’re doing it to try to shame anyone who owns a handgun, nothing else. While The Journal News attempted to disguise their actual goal with their little map, Gawker showed the actual intent of these type of posts with today’s post. I mean, calling the folks on the list “assholes” is a pretty good indication of what they doing. Never mind that just listing names can’t be seen as protecting anything other than maybe the author’s superiority complex.

So by all means, keep doing it! Please continue to try to shame law-abiding citizens with your little maps and lists under the guise of “letting people know” and “safety.” Please continue to call people “assholes” for obeying the law and exercising their right to bear arms. In fact, do more! Maybe you could drive to their homes and try to shame them in person or send your apparently non-asshole readers instead, while you sit at a keyboard.

The only thing these lists and maps are going to accomplish is creating sympathy for those included on them and that’s fine by me. Every article, list, post, or map that does this only drives people away from their point of view and back towards mine. Their efforts at public shaming will undoubtedly backfire on them and that’s something I’m going to sit back and enjoy.