Updated 4:07 p.m. March 1, 2011 with statement from Illinois State Police
The Illinois State Police released a statement this afternoon in disagreement with the Attorney General's recommendation:
"The Illinois State Police respectfully disagrees with the recent opinion of the Attorney General's Public Access Counselor (PAC) regarding the release of names of Firearm Owner Identification cardholders. The Department intends to request that the PAC issue a binding opinion so that the issue may be resolved through the judicial process."
Earlier Story:
The Illinois attorney general says state police must release the name of everyone in the state who is authorized to own a gun.
Illinois state police determine who gets a Firearm Owners Identification card, which allows people to own guns. The police have always kept the list private.
But Attorney General Lisa Madigan's public access counselor released a letter Monday night saying the information should be public.
The Associated Press had requested the list of FOID cardholders but state police said that would violate the privacy of gun owners.
The attorney general's office ruled that argument invalid.
State police officials have not said whether they will comply with the ruling.
There are Republican-sponsored bills in the Illinois House and Senate that would prohibit disclosure of the information.