A newspaper in the American state of New York has sparked outrage by publishing a detailed map with thousands of names and addresses of gun permit holders.
The publication came amid a heated debate in the United States over gun control, sparked by the Connecticut school massacre, AFP reports.
The Journal News in Westchester County obtained the publicly available information about 33,000 permit holders from county clerks.
The paper published the data earlier this week on an interactive map alongside an article titled "The Gun Owner Next Door".
The move drew intense criticism from gun owners on social media outlets, calling it a violation of privacy.
The newspaper defended its action, saying the information was legally obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request and its readers had a right to know whether their neighbours owned firearms.
The Journal News said it had received hundreds of calls from people who feared for their safety or felt their privacy had been violated.
The school shooting at Newtown, Connecticut on 14 December, in which 26 people including 20 children were shot dead, has sparked renewed calls for new gun regulation.
