From an April 5 article by Huffington Post reporter Sam Stein:

The Commerce Department is pushing back against census critics, subtly reminding conservative blogger and CNN contributor Erick Erickson that the workers whom he's threatened to pull a shotgun on are simply doing required, temporary and important work.

In a statement provided to the Huffington Post, Nicholas Kimball, a spokesman for the Commerce Department -- which oversees the 2010 census counting -- said that precautions are being made to “protect the safety of both census workers and the public.”

Going through the logistics of the process, Kimball noted that the census workers dispatched to help collect raw data (in the form of a ten-point questionnaire) are usually fellow locals. Taking a small dig at Erickson, without naming names, he added:

So, that means someone knocking on a door in, for example, Macon, Georgia, is likely to be from that community or neighborhood. They're just someone looking for a little extra work during these difficult economic times - and looking to help fulfill the mission of our Founding Fathers.

Previously:

CNN's Erickson: I'll "[p]ull out my wife's shotgun" if they try to arrest me for not filling out the American Community Survey

CNN's Erickson lashes out, doubles down on “shotgun” remark

Olbermann criticizes Erickson for “shotgun” remark and CNN for hiring him