Illinois Officials Spar Over Order to Make List of Gun Owners Public
By Judson Berger
Published March 02, 2011
| FoxNews.com
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.
The police are correct in resisting the release of the information. As it was pointed out, along with telling everyone who was armed, it would also point out who was not. If you were looking to ensure you didn't get shot while stealing, raping and otherwise pillaging the local populace, whose house would you target? The one where you knew there was a firearm or the one that you knew lacked that particular self defense hardware? As long as you knew that only lawbreakers like yourself were likely to have a gun, you could pretty well pick a house at random and know that your chances of it being the last house you ever violated were slim to none. Not knowing makes it a roll of the dice, which could come up snake eyes. Knowing for certain, however, gives the criminal the advantage. If they are looking to steal firearms, they know which house will have them. If they are looking for an easy victim, they will know which house does not have them.
Public documents should only be released if the documents concern public officials and their doings. That is the intent of the Freedom of Information Act. It is not an avenue to use to get information on private individuals. It is a tool to keep our governments honest.
