A recent letter to the editor asked that this newspaper publish the names and addresses of people who have been granted firearm permits — a process known as “doxing” (“Concealed-carry people should be publicly ID’d,” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 3). The purpose of doxing is to reveal personal information of people whose opinions you disagree with, exposing them to ridicule, retaliation and even physical harm.

People who are granted a gun permit have broken no law. In fact, they are vetted by the police department, their records are checked, they take a firearm safety course and the police department thoroughly examines their application in a process that takes weeks and even months.

The U.S. Constitution grants, and the U.S. Supreme Court has affirmed, a citizen’s right to bear arms. The letter writer’s fears, based on no evidence of illegal activity or danger, do not outweigh the exercise of such a citizen’s right or justify revealing personal information that can potentially cause harm to one engaged in that legal action.

Tom Koenig

Mililani

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