Cyber Snooping On Gun Owners

by
posted on October 15, 2013
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
on-guard_F.jpg

There’s nothing funny about the NSA collecting contact lists and information from Internet sites, so pardon my lack of humor. Americans are being targeted, and the administration signed a U.N. Gun Treaty with serious ramifications to the Second Amendment last month.

The sky isn’t falling, but the cloud cover is getting pretty low for gun owners. No one in their right mind cares if the NSA can efficiently mine the Internet for information that could stop a terrorist attack, but it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out one of the keyword searches they’re using is “firearm.”

OK, the offshore sites doing this may have turned up my post about the antique Stevens shotgun I inherited. Odds are good the “lead” would have been deleted, unless of course it hit the desk of someone who doesn’t know guns, or a person in a bad mood, or an overworked snoop who missed the delete key while scouring 44,000 e-mail addresses from Yahoo on that single day.

I don’t have much to hide, so I’m not overly concerned. But then again, I don’t have plans to vacation in any of our anti-gun NATO ally nations-who for all I know will have unlimited access to cyberspace’s mother lode. But when a parent’s innocent firearm-related post on Facebook  results in a visit from child protective services, it may be time to rethink some things.

Do I really want a snot-nosed, wet-behind-the-ears kid whose sole claim to fame is top-score in Tetris trying to figure out if my 100-year-old 12-gauge shotgun should be of concern? I haven’t quite figured that one out yet.

On one hand it scares me. No more annual holiday cards with the grandkids guarding the house while wearing reindeer camo. No more hunting photos, new gun announcements, ammo shortage complaints or sharing of the daily prayer. Let’s face facts: Privacy settings are just a suggestion to government hackers.

On the other hand, I think it’s too late for me. If you’re in the same boat, why not annoy the heck out of them with so much garbage it makes their heads spin, like on the Exorcist-odd that movie comes to mind right now.

Latest

Springfield New Coas 01
Springfield New Coas 01

Making the A-Cut: Springfield Armory's COA-Ready Operator, TRP & DS Prodigy Pistols

Springfield has already released a COA-ready version of its Echelon earlier this year, and the new models will bring the A-Cut to the company’s hammer-fired handguns, including the 1911 Operator, 1911 TRP and 1911 DS Prodigy.

Skills Check: Snake-Eyes Drill

Our drill this month trains you to form a stable firing platform early enough to gain optimal control before the shot breaks. Timing is of the essence.

A Memorial Day Conversation With Grey Team

Grey Team was founded to help armed services members and veterans with the physiological impacts traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain and more.

42 New Handguns for 2026

Within the entire firearm marketplace, handguns continue to be some of the most popular offerings, and for good reason.

The Armed Citizen® May 25, 2026

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

President’s Column | Hope Is Not a Strategy

It was great meeting so many enthusiastic and supportive NRA members at the NRA Annual Meeting in Houston. Your words of encouragement and suggestions are propelling your NRA 2.0 forward.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.