Over at Editor & Publisher we learn the Medford Mail Tribune is suing the Jackson County Sheriff. It wants a copy of the county's concealed carry list:
The paper is trying to learn how many teachers hold such licenses.
The issue arose out of other another suit, in which a high school teacher challenged the Medford School District's ban on employees bringing guns on school property. The Mail Tribune has looked into the matter as a school security issue.
Responsible for the handgun license list, Sheriff Winters denied a request, first made over a month ago, for the list, citing reasons of privacy and safety, according to an account in yesterday's Mail Tribune. Calling the list a public record, the newspaper maintains that refusal to disclose it is illegal, adding that other sheriffs' offices have turned over such documents.
Reporter Paris Achen quoted Editor Bob Hunter as saying, "This is information bought and paid for by the public, and the public has a right to it."
The Mail Trib points out in its suit that WWeek and the O have gotten similar records from Multnomah County. The paper also says it has no intention of publishing the list.
Update: If I'd been paying more attention to my RSS feeds I'd know that Nick Budnick had this over at OGRE two days ago and points to Paris Achen's original story at the MailTrib.
Quick question: if the paper isn't going to publish the list then why do they need it? The statement that they want it but aren't going to publish begs the question: What the heck are they going to do with it.