Thursday, March 03, 2011

Illinois Officials Battling Over Releasing The Names And Addresses Of Gun Owners...

In a showdown over the privacy rights of gun owners, the Illinois State Police are refusing to release a list identifying all firearm permit holders in the state after Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan determined that the information "must" be made public.

The dispute, which soon could come before a judge, has been building since last fall when a reporter for The Associated Press made a Freedom of Information Act request to the police for the names of cardholders as well as information about the weapons each permit holder is authorized to carry.
But the state police, who safeguard that information, resisted as lawmakers and others raised privacy concerns. Critics questioned what public interest it would serve to let neighbors look up each other's (sic) potential weapons cache -- further, they warned that publicizing the information could put both gun owners and those who don't own guns at risk. 

What's this? Ill-Annoy cops actually standing firm on something that scares them so very much? Armed citizens getting help from...gasp...the anti-gunning fuzz?

The police had argued that they should not have to release the records because of an exemption for "information that would endanger the life or physical safety of law enforcement personnel or any other person."
 
Ah...now it makes some sense. THEY would be on that list, too.
Hadda be something like that.

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