And makes it easier for criminals to avoid houses with guns, thus putting the non gun population at risk.
The reasoning behind this was that criminals could use the phone number to figure out where the sellers lived, and go steal their guns.
Funny how these things differ between places.
For instance:
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20120330/NEWS01/703309874
But there are many more examples of that. For criminals information is a competitive edge, just like for everybody else.
The safe bet is that they exploit that edge to the maximum of their abilities to increase their rewards.
There are organized crime gangs that read obituaries and make it their business to take your stuff.
If you are flying out of state to bury your spouse or parent, the risk is greater. In two cases I know of, a moving truck arrived as soon as they left for the airport and took absolutely everything.
AFAIK police departments everywhere have been advising people for at least five decades to be sure someone picks up your mail and newspapers if you're planning to be away, because criminals will realize that nobody lives in or checks up on a house if the mailbox is overflowing.
Haven't you ever seen the scene in the original "Home Alone" where the Wet Bandits are casing the neighborhood before they hit the houses?
I'd guess home matches are best, because their wife/gf/partner will be more likely to go to the stadium, rather than for an away match, when their wife may not travel.