There’s an App for That

While on principle I have no issues with something like this, because it’s not government, it’ll likely end up being used by our opponents to punish responsible gun owners. Especially those of us who are vocal about standing up to them.

“The gun rights community has been busy making personal threats (we remain unconcerned), as well as spamming the Gun Geo Marker database with false markers,” he exclusively told FoxNews.com. “Though these fake markers are not useful for identifying dangerous guns and owners, they are certainly representative of the highly paranoid reaction we have come to expect from any attempt to improve gun safety in the United States.

I kind of like the idea of a disinformation campaign, but at the same time I’d hate to drag some random schlob into this whole thing.

21 thoughts on “There’s an App for That”

  1. I think it would be prudent, if anyone is added to this database, to add all of their neighbors as well. Then branch out to adjoining streets and continue until boredom sets in. “Security through obscurity.” Also, gun owners getting upset about this is one thing, Soccer Mom Sally getting upset about it is another.

  2. At this point they have over a thousand reviews, with the vast majority being 1 star. :)

  3. So lets see. Using public campaign fillings you can add every Obama donor ($250 or more) to the database a being a gun owner. When the data becomes polluted, the application becomes useless.

    1. The only problem with that is that you have to actually be at a location before you can tag it. It doesn’t allow you to enter addresses.

      1. First, not that hard to get around that. Second, I’m sure there are more than a few donors within a mile of your current location.

  4. Police stations, hospitals, businesses you know to be anti-gun. Banks, I could go on, but I think most folks would get the picture.

  5. Government or not, I have a problem with this. Let me illustrate: Suppose I had an app where I marked the location of blacks? Or Jews? How about cops? Or politicians? How about an app where people can mark the location of parents that have young children?

    This app carries with it an implied threat of retaliation- “we know here you live”. This is nothing more than an attempt to silence or browbeat gun owners.

      1. It is a blatant attempt to ostracize and silence gun owners. It is also an idiotic program that is very easy to fill with garbage. A friend of mine has already tagged, via location spoofing his phone, a local police station and the nearest BATFE outpost.

        1. “It is a blatant attempt to ostracize and silence gun owners. ”

          They even admit as much on their website. From their FAQ:

          “If a gun owner wants anonymity from any neighbors who they think might mark their locations, then it is the responsibility of the gun owner to keep their gun ownership a closely held personal or family secret.”

          In other words, back into the closet you repugnant gun owner.

  6. Yeah, because that’s not bullying. I want an app that shows the home addresses of people who are deemed a threat to freedom (as defined by us gun nuts) – including the addresses of the developers of this app.

    1. Yeah, I think the app developer’s addresses, home and work, are already in the app’s database. With the spamming and spoofing going on, I’m fair certain he’s been added multiple times.

      Instead of the spam, though, I recommend that everyone just flag the app as “offensive” and follow your best judgement as to why it’s offensive when Google asks for a reason.

      1. The fool is an instructor at UCSD. If gun owners were half as evile as he thinks he wouldn’t make it through the week.

  7. A couple thoughts:

    Ms. Magazine got upset when someone posted Heidi Yewman’s address, which sounds like a legitimate use of how this app was intended.

    Use the “other” category to mark houses that are “safe” from gun violence because the occupants are anti-gun anti-self-defense (I’m not sure if that information is conveyed though).

    I suspect the users of this app to roughly be proportionate to Internet pro/anti activity. There is zero chance of this working as intended when we download the app in an at least 10:1 ratio. Worst case for them, we actually turn it into something pro-gun and they pull the app.

    How the hell does an app that gives a map of where guns are “not locked” (being one of the categories) help the gun theft problem?

    Kermit’s idea is the most responsible. Flag it as offensive because it is. Even if there were an app with the good intention of marking where young children live so drivers know to slow down, parents everywhere will be outraged and horrified by how it will be abused.

  8. How do you get access to the info if you’re not an Android user?

    I would want to know if somebody put me or someone I know on the database. If that were to happen, I would likely ensure my entire neighborhood was marked to fill the database with clutter.

    It’s telling that the person making the entry gets to remain anonymous. If I had legitimate concerns that a neighbor wasn’t properly securing their guns, I would approach them directly. That’s the responsible thing to do.

    1. It may be considered the responsible thing to do, but in todays world it would be stupid or foolish.
      Ever tried dealing directly with a neighbor with a barking dog? Or leave their trash cans sitting in the street all week? All you will get is a permanently pissed off neighbor, and very little satisfaction regarding the resolution of the problem. Neighborhoods are no longer communities like they used to be. People move too often, so homes are considered temporary locations. Hard to develop any sense of fellowship that way.

  9. I recently arrived in Afghanistan and marked Ali al-Saleem in Kuwait as well as Kandahar and Kabul International Airport as having “18 year olds with machine guns everywhere!” I’ll mark another part of Kabul tomorrow and everywhere else I go in country.

  10. “The gun rights community has been busy making personal threats (we remain unconcerned)”

    So apparently we are not as dangerous as they make us out to be!

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