A big win for the good guys in Oregon - Guns/CCW<!-- google_ad_section_end --> <hr style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" itxtvisited="1" size="1"><!-- / icon and title --><!-- message --><!-- google_ad_section_start -->Some time ago, the largest newspaper in our area, The Medford Mail Tribune, sued to get the names of Oregonians who hold CCW permits. Our local sheriff said "no" for various reasons. Before the court case could be fully decided, our legislature passed a law banning the release of the information. Below is a better explanation. Chalk one up for the good guys. Oregon has a stronger constitutional right to keep and bear than the US constitution does, and a CCW is a right. Link State House OKs bill regulating handgun data. The measure, approved 54-4, limits public access to concealed handgun license lists. May 05, 2009 The Associated Press SALEM — The Oregon House overwhelmingly approved a bill Monday to limit public access to information about concealed handgun license holders. The issue arose after the Mail Tribune and other news organizations sought to obtain lists of people with those licenses. On a 54-4 vote, the House backed the measure with supporters asserting that public disclosure of that information would jeopardize the personal safety of concealed handgun license holders. Under the bill, the concealed handgun license information would be exempt from disclosure under Oregon's open records law unless someone can make a compelling case that the public interest would be served by opening it. Local sheriffs would decide on a case-by-case basis. One of those who voted against the measure, Rep. Larry Galizio, said there's no compelling reason to make it so difficult for citizens to check to see who is getting concealed handgun licenses from local sheriffs. "This is a classic solution in search of a problem," the Tigard Democrat said. However, one of the chief sponsors of the bill said open records laws should be used to hold government agencies accountable, not to publicly disclose information about private citizens. "Government records should be about government programs, and not about whether a single mom living in some remote area of the state has a permit to protect herself and her children," said Rep. Kim Thatcher, R-Keizer. The issue has been of interest and contention in Jackson County since 2007 when the Mail Tribune requested a list of license holders' names as part of its reporting on a South Medford High School teacher who unsuccessfully sued the school district for refusing to allow her to bring a handgun onto campus. Jackson County Sheriff Mike Winters denied the Mail Tribune's request, arguing that the records are not public because disclosure would compromise license holders' personal security. The paper responded with a suit against Winters for failure to release public records. A Jackson County judge ruled in favor of the newspaper and Winters agreed to release the handgun license issued to South Medford teacher Shirley Katz, who already had revealed her identity. Katz's case against the Medford School District has been heard by the Oregon Court of Appeals, but no opinion has yet been issued. Last December, sheriffs around Oregon sent letters to concealed weapon license holders, asking whether they want the information released if it is requested as a public record. Several sheriffs who testified on the bill said the response was overwhelmingly in favor of keeping those records secret. House Bill 2727 now goes to the Senate. Nearly 110,000 Oregonians have gotten concealed weapon licenses by undergoing background checks and firearms training. The Mail Tribune contributed to this report.<!-- google_ad_section_end --> <!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
Big win? Maybe in the original bill, but this one only protects you if your Sheriff is pro CHL. They can still give out the list if they want to, just can't force them to if they are a good guy like Sheriff Winters. Not all are pro-chl either.
Yeah, well I can just see them releasing all records of all law enforcement people....complete with an itemized list, address, phone numer, etc! If they would bother to think, ( outside their capabilities), then they would also be required to release the names, and addresses, and weapons of every L/E agent to wit: FBI, Secret Service, NSA, etc, etc. I really wonder, just what is wrong with these mentally deficient individuals? It's beyond a loss of common sense, and basically, it is blatantly IGNORANT. IMHO.
