The Journal Snooze Evokes Ire from Coast to Coast

Editorial by Fox News’ Todd Starnes

“THE RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS”

In the 1984 version of “Red Dawn,” (the one with Patrick Swayze) the United States was invaded by the Soviet Union.

The enemy force quickly made its way to gun stores where they located registration cards. Gun owners were quickly rounded up and many met an untimely demise.

Today — the enemy force would just need to get a copy of The Journal News.

The New York newspaper is facing a massive backlash after publishing the names and addresses of every registered gun owner in their community.

Their decision to do so serves two purposes:

1. It violates the privacy rights of law-abiding citizens who have invoked their Second Amendment rights;

2. It puts those law-abiding citizens who don’t own guns at the mercy of enterprising criminals in search of easy targets.

What The Journal News did is beyond disgraceful. The publisher has brought same not just upon her newspaper — but her profession.

She used her First Amendment rights to condemn those using their Second Amendment rights — treating gun owners like they would sex offenders.

I contacted Gannett Company, the newspaper’s parent company, and asked if they supported the outing of legal gun owners. A spokesman said Gannett would not be offering a comment.

I hope you know that not all journalists are limp-wristed, anti-gun liberals.

I’m proud to call myself a gun-toting American who happens to be a member of the National Rifle Association.

As a journalist – I understand that my First Amendment rights are protected by my Second Amendment rights.

The pen may be mightier than the sword, friends. But I’d much rather have access to a Smith & Wesson in the event of a home invasion robbery.

Starnes is a Fox News correspondent and the author of “Dispatches From Bitter America”