Menu Content/Inhalt

What is this?

Help Demand the Sandusky Register to Remove Public CHL Lists! PDF Print E-mail
Written by Harry Bryan   
Tuesday, 26 June 2007

Ohioans For Concealed Carry is organizing a response to the June 26 actions of The Sandusky Register and managing editor Matt Westerhold, after their recent decision to print blanket lists of Ohio CHL holders' names, age, and county of residence, from four northwest Ohio counties.

Jeff Garvas, President of OFCC, is in contact with other gun rights organizations to enlist their support and assistance. The organized response will include a letter writing campaign and a directed effort to communicate with the ad sponsors of the Register in order to educate them about the despicable and dangerous practice of of "outing" people who have undergone training, passed a rigorous background check, been fingerprinted, and received a Concealed Handgun License from their county sheriff.

Mr. Garvas has released a statement saying,
"Sandusky Newspapers Inc. and The Sandusky Register should immediately demand the resignation of managing editor Matt Westerhold for his role in putting the lives, homes, and lawfully-owned firearms of countless citizens in Northwest Ohio at risk of violence or theft."

"When newspaper management chooses to put a juicy headline controversy with no journalistic news worthy content ahead of the safety of the public, the only acceptable answer is to terminate their employment post haste."

"Ohioans For Concealed Carry and its supporters intend to send that message to the owners of the paper by targeting advertisers and encouraging them to pull advertising until this dangerous course of action is reversed and an apology is made to those citizens whose privacy has already been violated by the paper".

Individuals who have a CHL and had their personal information disclosed have already began contacting The Sandusky Register to say that they believe they have been endangered by the paper's irresponsible actions. They are afraid the fact that others now know their CHL status, that they may be discriminated against in employment and housing opportunities. They also feel that this information may place certain individuals, who got a CHL for protection from an abusive spouse or stalker, at personal risk.

OFCC plans to spearhead a drive to force the Register to retract the lists in the interest of public safety and apologize to the gun owning community. This will bring the Register in line with the intent of House Bill 9, which was passed earlier this year in order to clean up the blatant misuse of the "Journalist Loophole" that allowed media outlets to publish personal information for no reason.

OFCC is hoping the Register will heed the warning of the response of CHL holders in Virginia in April, 2007, who were organized by the Virginia Citizens Defense League and applied grassroots pressure to force The Roanoke Times to withdraw their similarly published list of 135,000 CHL holders.

The leading gun rights organization in Ohio, Ohioans for Concealed Carry, plans to enlist the aid of their members and other individuals who share the concern over the publishing of this list in an effort to educated and inform the Sandusky Register's paid advertisers of the detrimental nature of their editorial policy.