Paper pulls controversial handgun permit info from website

The newspaper that stirred up controversy after publishing the names and addresses of gun permit owners in two New York counties has taken down the information from its website, reported the Associated Press.

The move came just a few days after New York passed new gun control laws that also added privacy protections for those with gun permits, which were created in direct response to the Journal News' map. Specifially, someone with a gun permit can take themselves off public records -- which the newspaper used to create the original map -- if he or she is a police officer, domestic violence survivor, or simply someone who feels threatened by having a public record.

Gun owners objected to the mapping of addresses, claiming that it threatened their safety. The angry response led the newspaper to bring in armed guards.

While the map itself remains, people can no longer use it to find specific addresses and names.

A statement from the paper's president explained the decision: "While the new law does not require us to remove the data, we believe that doing so complies with its spirit."

[Image: Female Policer Officer on Shutterstock]