Things are getting heated in Memphis, Tennessee where a newspaper decided it would be a good idea to publish all the names and information of gun owners in the state. The Commercial Appeal's Web site now lists all those in Tennessee who have a permit to carry a concealed weapon.

The outcry from the public has been so huge, that the paper felt the need to defend its decision. I thought that you might enjoy a few of the reasons why the paper supports the need to know who in your neighborhood is a handgun owner:

• A mom might now check the list to see if the parents at her kid's sleep-over next door had a concealed weapon permit. If so, maybe it would be worth talking to them to make sure the gun is locked up.
  
• A school official, concerned about whether teachers were bringing guns onto school grounds, might check the list to see whether anyone on the staff has a permit to carry, and then have a discussion about it.
  
• Business people who sell goods and services that might be of interest to those who carry concealed weapons might use the list to generate new leads.
  
• But there is one overriding, enduring reason the permit-to-carry list needs to be public. Once a concealed weapon is pulled out at a shopping center, a hospital or a business, what happens next with that gun becomes a matter of public concern to everyone.

Hey ... I have an idea here. Why doesn't this same newspaper publish a list of all people who have communicable diseases? How about a list of people with HIV? Maybe some mother would be a little concerned about her child spending the night at a friend's home where mom and dad have full-blown AIDS. Maybe a school official might like to know which teachers are HIV positive, and which are not.

We know the reason, don't we? The newspaper is philosophically opposed to people owning and carrying guns ... and this is a way for them to fight back.