Got Guns? Rye Resident Reacts to LoHud.com Gun Database

Gun map Rye NY

(PHOTO: Each dot is a Rye gun owner.)

Rye resident Philip Cicchiello is fired up. He is one of the Rye residents whose name shows up on a gun owner database published by LoHud.com.

Here is his letter to the editor. What do you think? Leave a comment below.

(To MyRye.com):

Below is a letter to the editor that I sent to the Journal news. As I, along with others in Rye, have been listed in the paper, I would like to express my opinion on this issue. Thank you. Please feel free to contact me at any time. The note on the bottom is in reference to the last letter I sent to the journal news. The editor saw fit to change my words, thoughts, ideas, and direction, of my letter.

Recently, at a family Christmas party, my cousin, a retired police officer, asked if I knew that I was in the newspaper. It was at that time I was informed that as a pistol permit holder, my name and address were listed in the local paper. First I thought why, what did I do but exercise my Constitutional rights? With a wife and two children at home, why would Dwight Worley, also a gun owner, list our names, addresses, and even apartment numbers? Why not just a general location? Why list our names and addresses? It seems he was trying to hang a Scarlet letter on our necks. This article had nothing to do with the safety of our neighbors or neighborhoods. It was all about scare tactics and an attempt at intimidation. All while pushing the left-leaning, anti-gun (anti-self defense?) ideology, of the journal news. And judging from the public outrage from coast to coast, I’m not alone in this opinion.
This whole article seems highly irresponsible. I understand it’s a matter of public record, but why make it so easy for criminals to know where the guns are and where there is no home defense. It’s as if Mr. Worley was saying there is an “anarchist cookbook” and then actually handing out printed copies to every journal news subscriber.

I called the paper. The first person that answered the phone refused to identify himself, even after I asked three times. He then hung up on me. When I called back, it went to voice mail.

Next, I called Kathy Moore, “watchdog editor”. She actually called me back. But when I asked the question that so many are asking, “does the paper have any moral or ethical responsibility if a crime takes place because of the information provided”? I was told that “hypothetical” situations would not be addressed.

I then mentioned my idea of a follow up article. How about listing all the journal news employees, from the president/publisher, Janet Hasson, to the part-time delivery staff (who enter our private property daily), who have pistol permits. After all, the writer of the article, Dwight Worley, of Queens, NY, has a pistol permit. I was informed that if they have a permit and live in one of these three counties, they are on the list and that no further information would be given.

How about an article listing the names and locations of all the section 8, food stamp (EBT), WIC, or unemployment benefits recipients? I want to know where all my tax dollars are going, while I’m going to work, don’t you? How would all those people feel? After all, they did nothing wrong either, just like me.
We all know there is no “putting the toothpaste back in the tube”. I am a gun owner. Everyone now knows where I live. I was professionally trained at the Westchester County Police Academy. I am proficient in the use of my legally owned weapons. I will not be intimidated by poor journalism that reeks of sensationalism, has no real journalistic merit, and rides on the coat tails of a true tragedy for our nation. If a crime is committed with the aid of this information, the journal news should, must, be held accountable as a co-conspirator.

PLEASE DO NOT EDIT MY WORDS OR CHANGE MY THOUGHTS OR STATEMENTS. THIS WAS DONE THE LAST TIME I SUBMITTED A LETTER AND THE CONTEXT WAS CHANGED TO SUIT THE EDITOR. PLEASE CALL IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.

PHILIP CICCHIELLO
1 WALNUT ST, B-14
RYE, NY 10580

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28 Comments

  1. Phil,

    Sorry your privacy and so many others is not so “PRIVATE”!!!

    Entitlement, Bias, Double Standard, etc….at its best!

    I’m curious to know how many cops & or local officials are left off this list….surely there has to be at least one gun enthusiast amongst this group???

  2. Cablevision News 12 – Gannett’s Journal News today receives “white powder” delivery that results in editorial offices chaos and disruption of all business throughout LoHud office building. Developing.

  3. Here is what this gun debate is about and it has nothing to do with who is carrying guns. It’s about this poor mother and her unfortunately sick deranged child that she cared for and struggled with her entire life. Did anyone ever think that Adam Lanza killed his mother to get access to her guns?

    Now what the Urinal News did is create a list for others stricken with Adams issues, a list where gun access could be easier than shooting your own mother. Let’s just rob the neighbors guns when they are not home, get the guns and now we can use the same list (also complements of the Urinal News) to determine where we can shoot people that have no guns. The possibilities her are enormous thanks to the Urinal News. I cancelled my subscription last week.

  4. The only public information that should ever be allowed to be released to the public is Mayor French’s personal finances and maybe his building permit records. Besides that, all other public information should remain non-disclosurable. FOIL means “French’s ONLY Information Law”.

  5. Oh “Hypocrite?” – Here’s something brand new that’s straight out of Mr. French’s personal secret construction playbook. But this time it was Messrs Pickup, Otis, and Plunkett who were undoubtedly “looking out for us.” Nothing changes. I wonder if it’s even structurally sound?

    New from LausDeo10580 –

    RM STAFFING & CONSTRUCTION: BILLED $100,000 FOR DECK IN 2009–NO PERMITS OR APPROVALS IN BLDG DEPT RECORD

    https://www.lausdeo10580.com/lausdeo10580/2013/01/city-hall-approved-117000-no-bid-capital-improvement-project-for-rm-staffing-in-2009.html

  6. tedc

    Perhaps Pickup, French, Wilson and Brett are using this definition of foil in their handling of FOIL requests.

    Definition of FOIL

    1. obsolete : trample

    2 a. to prevent from attaining an end : defeat, always able to foil her enemies

    b. to bring to naught : thwart

  7. “WAKE THE F*** UP AMERICA!!! ” ?????? Are you kidding me ???? If you look at the map, I don’t think Harrison even sleeps, they seem way to paranoid to doze off. Someone might be breaking into their house. LOL.

  8. I have noticed a SHARP increase in the amount break-in’s for houses that weren’t on that gun list…..uh…. wait a minute……. there hasn’t been one breakin since the list has been released???? Sorry, I’ve been hypnotized by Faux News and I’m finally snapping out of it. I usually get all my talking points from Faux News and regurgitate them on an hourly basis just to show how smart I am.

  9. Hypocrite,

    I agree with you completely. Finally someone on this blog who makes sense!

    Doug French has been picked on since the day he took office! I’m sure there were other council members who had to pay $17,000 in restitution to Westchester County for cheating on their taxes! But for some reason lausdeo10580.com targets the mayor.

    And what about the building violations?! That’s unfair. Who cares if the Building Department looks the other way when he decides to reconstruct his investment property without approvals while most people have to apply and appear before the ZBA?!?!

    I have faith in Doug even if he doesn’t always tell the truth.

  10. Nellie Nelson,

    I think you just proved Hypocrite’s point. Prisoners talk smack to the guards all the time and it never makes the “news”. Now Faux News is MAKING up “news”. There is no “news” in that story. It’s just there because it appeals to the easily manipulated who watch Faux News. See how easily you are manipulated and how willing you were to regurgitate it?

  11. @French4Mayor2013: Certainly hope that post was meant to be facetious. Otherwise I’d have to believe it was written by Doug’s wife. Good luck with re-election, my dog has a better chance of winning that race.

  12. UPDATE: Video – Out Today.

    Activist’s working with James O’Keefe visit Westchester County journalists to ask they proudly put up signs at THEIR HOMES saying “This Home is Proudly Gun Free.” Watch as the answers to the volunteer’s from “Citizens Against Gun Violence” are scored…

    https://youtu.be/wt1Zy_ASNyA

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