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WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — A New York newspaper that unleashed a public outcry after it published the names and addresses of residents with pistol permits is being protected by armed guards.

The guards have been posted at its White Plains headquarters and in a satellite office in West Nyack since last week, publisher Janet Hasson said.

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“The safety of my staff is my top priority,” she told The New York Times.

In December, the Journal News published online maps with the names and addresses of pistol permit holders in Rockland and Westchester counties, information it sought from public records after the school shooting in Newtown, Conn.

The newspaper’s database, which included an interactive map on the Gannet Co.-owned newspaper’s website lohud.com, sparked a torrent of criticism from across the country. Some said the publication was an invasion of privacy and could potentially put gun owners at risk. Others compared it to lists of sexual predators or other criminals, and said it was tantamount to presenting gun permit holders as wrongdoers.