March 12, 2007 — The Roanoke Times has decided to remove the online database of registered concealed handgun permit holders from its website.The newspaper is requesting the Virginia State Police, which provided the information, verify the data.“When we posted the information, we had every reason to believe that the data the State Police had supplied would comply with the statutes. But people have notified us that the list includes names that should not have been released,” said Debbie Meade, president and publisher of The Roanoke Times. “Out of a sense of caution and concern for the public we have decided to take the database off of our website.”The database was posted on roanoke.com on Sunday as part of a New River Valley editorial page column about open records. This column, as well as others that will be published this week, is part of a special focus on Sunshine Week, a national initiative to raise awareness about open government and freedom of information.
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By virtue of their irresponsible behavior, many citizens may have been targeted for burglary. I wonder what liability the Roanoke Times might have.
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