Collateral Damage

From the Holy City of Sandusky

Why does Matt Westerhold want battered women and their children to be stalked and murdered?

That’s the inevitable question raised by his recent reckless actions as managing editor of the Sandusky, Ohio Register.

In an act of incredible recklessness, arrogance and malice, Mr. Westerhold recently caused to be published in the register, the names, ages and locations of numerous Ohio residents legally authorized by the state to carry concealed firearms.

While Mr. Westerhold’s alleged reason was to combat “secrecy” in state records, in fact, it was motivated by an entirely different set of goals.

What public interest was served by Westerhold’s actions?

Certainly not one of ensuring the validity of the process of issuing licenses for concealed carry of firearms. The idea that someone [clearly very bored] reading the Register’s website would have greater knowledge of a legally sufficient reason to deny someone a CCW license than state, local and federal law enforcement is clearly not a credible one.

Certainly neither is there a “public records” justification. What imaginable public interest is served by publishing the names, ages and locations of private citizens with CCW licenses? Certainly no public interest that wouldn’t be served even better by posting the names of AIDS patients, sex offenders and check forgers. Publishing lists of such people would clearly protect the public against those who have either done harm, or who could do harm, in some cases, without their victims even knowing it. Yet Westerhold chose instead.to publish the names, ages and locations of those proven NOT to have committed crimes.

Given that Westerhold’s [and his defenders’] reasons have been shown to be lies, why DID he publish personal information on private citizens proved NOT to be criminals?

Intimidation, pure and simple. Matt Westerhold wants to do everything possible to ensure that people do NOT avail themselves of the means to defend themselves from violent attack. What’s his motivation?

Malice? Westerhold is known to be anti-gun, and anti-gunners are frequently consumed with malice for those who refuse to be the victims of violent crime. Cowards hate those who display courage. The irresponsible hate the responsible. It’s entirely possible that Westerhold is one of those nihilists who fly into an insane rage at the idea of people NOT being the victims of crime. They frequently view robbery as a “tax”. When asked what rape and murder are, one hears only the sound of crickets.

Stupidity? Well, there’s certainly evidence a plenty of THAT. Poor Matt seemed genuinely surprised when those whom he violated started posting to the internet [including the Register’s own website] HIS personal information, and more disturbingly, information regarding the employment by the Register of sex offenders in positions where they could easily come into contact with minors. Our genius seems to think that this is going away eventually, without a very high price for him and the Register to pay. Perhaps he should talk to Christian Trejbal in Virginia, who pulled a similar churlish stunt.

Misogyny? Certainly that’s often in evidence whenever [especially male] anti-gunners coalesce. A British anti-gun fanatic once told me that women shouldn’t be allowed to own or carry firearms for their personal protection because he was “afraid that he’d be mistaken for a rapist and shot”. My response to him? “How is it that you conduct yourself around women that you have a credible fear that you’ll be ‘mistaken’ for a rapist? Here’s some advice: Put down that butcher knife, pull up your pants, and go home.”

What are the potential consequences of Matt Westerhold’s malicious and reckless actions?

First and foremost, he has given those interested in stealing firearms a shopping list of people who have a 99% chance of having AT LEAST one gun. As was amply demonstrated by the retaliatory publishing of Westerhold’s personal information by his victims, once someone’s name, location and age are published, it’s trivially simple to find their address, financial information and more.

Secondly, and even more disturbing, there is a non-zero chance that some of Westerhold’s victims are victims of physically abusive spouses, stalkers, rapists and the like. What Westerhold has done is to give such predators a valuable leg up in locating and targeting their intended victims. Using the information which the Sandusky Register published, a man intent upon murdering his estranged wife and their children has been handed invaluable clues as to their locations. Even worse, he’s been warned up front to strike from ambush, rather than to confront his victim(s) head-on. To those at the Register who negligently continue to employ Matt Westerhold, consider the case of Soldier of Fortune Magazine. They ran an ad for a “mercenary” who later went on to commit a contract murder via that ad. SOF payed heavily for that ad. If a man were to slaughter his estranged family using information thoughtfully provided by Matt Westerhold and the Sandusky Register, could the Register survive the inevitable lawsuit?

In closing Matt, why do you want innocent women and children to be murdered? Why? Are they acceptable collateral damage in your war against legal gun ownership? Or is it simple schadenfreude?