By Tove Tupper & Associated Press
 
December 4, 2009
 
SALEM, Ore. -- The Oregon Court of Appeals has been asked to decide whether Oregon sheriffs have authority to block public access to information about concealed weapons permits.
 
The court heard arguments Friday from attorneys representing both the Medford Mail Tribune and Jackson County Sheriff Mike Winters. In 2007, the Tribune was trying to determine the name of a Medford teacher who wanted to take a concealed weapon to school with her. The newspaper asked Winters for a list of concealed weapon permit holders and he refused. The Tribune took the sheriff to circuit court and won in 2008. Winters appealed the ruling, and now it's in the hands of the Court of Appeals.
 
Winters says public disclosure of that information would jeopardize the personal safety of permit holders. He believes their identity should be released only to the sheriff's office or other law enforcement agencies.
 
The Tribune argues that it's up to legislators to decide if a record is public, not a local official.
 
"Because once things start to close up then decisions get made behind close doors and your government, Democratic, Republican form of government that we have, slips away," Editor of Mail Tribune Bob Hunter said.
 
The Tribune says it's not interested in publishing a list of permit holders.
 
Open government advocates and some news organizations say those records have always been public. They say Oregonians should have the right to check to see who is getting concealed weapons permits from local sheriffs.