Sheriff wages battle over concealed weapon permits

An Oregon sheriff is pushing concealed handgun license holders by the thousands to fight what he suspects could be an appellate decision saying their names and other information are public.

According to The Portland Tribune, Washington County Sheriff Rob Gordon is sending out letters and has posted a Web petition in hopes of garnering opposition to the release of information taken from a form that states, the newspaper said, "Oregon law considers this application public information."

At the center of the court battle is a newspaper’s lawsuit over access to details on a permit held by a teacher who claimed she wanted to bring a gun to school because she feared her ex-husband. A county judge in April ruled that permit information is "not always protected under Oregon’s public records law," the The Tribune said.

A spokesman for the sheriff told The Tribune permits "should be exempt" to protect people who obtain them "for personal protection."