A judge has issued a temporary restraining order to prevent the Illinois State Police from releasing the names of registered gun owners in the state - something the agency doesn't want to do anyway.
The order was handed down Friday in Peoria. It is the latest chapter in a battle between the state's attorney general and police force over the release of names of the state's Firearm Owners Identification cardholders.
Last week, responding to a Freedom of Information request from The Associated Press, Attorney General Lisa Madigan ruled the names are public information and should be disclosed by the state police.
The state police refused to do so and Friday four Peoria-area members of the Illinois State Rifle Association and the association asked Judge Scott Shore to issue the order.
