City Paper: McDonough To Introduce Gun Owner Privacy Bill

The bill was brought on by a New York paper's decision to publish a map of pistol permit owners shortly after the Newtown, CT school shooting.

State Del. Pat McDonough wants to stop newspapers from publishing information about gun owners. City Paper reports a bill on the subject is one of three that McDonough plans to introduce in the General Assembly session that starts in January. McDonough, a Middle River Republican who represents parts of Baltimore and Harford counties, told City Paper that the gun owner bill was brought on by current events. In New York, following the Dec. 14 school shooting in Newtown, CT, The Journal News published an online map of pistol permit holders in three counties. The map was compiled using public record requests. A blogger retaliated by posting the addresses of Journal News staffers, as CNN reported. One blogger even published the address of the …

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Open Thread: How Would You Rate Media Coverage of the Newtown Shooting?

It's your turn to share your thoughts on the media's coverage of the nation's latest mass shooting.

In the immediate aftermath of the shootings at an elementary school in Newtown, CT some people thought the news media coverage of the event was overkill, if not completely invasive. There was criticism of cable TV networks for interviewing kids coming out of the school following the massacre, and incorrect information was reported in the hours immediately following the news breaking. But others argue that it’s the job of the news media to be aggressive in telling these stories, and that the misinformation was only the results of erroneous information provide by officials. How would you rate the media coverage of the of the Sandy Hook Elementary shootings? Tell us in comments.      

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Support for Newtown, CT, School Shooting Victims Pours In

Well-wishers worldwide send thoughts, prayers and other support to Newtown.

The Newtown, CT, shootings have sparked an outpouring of support from across the country and the world. In New Hampshire, a student created a makeshift candlelight memorial for the victims. On Long Island, a neighborhood turned off its holiday lights in the wake of the shooting that killed 26 people, including 20 school kids, at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Friday. A blogger from Atlanta wrote a riveting Christmas poem in which he asked Santa to "take my presents and change them into hugs. And throw them down their chimneys with all your Christmas love." More than 1,000 Facebook users have shared Brandon Kelley's post. As of Sunday, more than 1,400 Patch users have posted this four-word comment—"I want to help"—on an article created for…

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Police Official: 27 Dead, 'It is Not a Simplistic Scene'

Get the latest updates on the tragic school shooting from Patch.