The Journal News announced yesterday that it had filed suit against Putnam County and county officials for their refusal last winter to release public records of gun-permit holders in the county.



In its news article about the suit, lohud.com said the paper did not plan to release the names of individuals holding permits. It had done so when it published information about gun-permit holders in Westchester and Rockland counties.



The paper's original act had caused a storm of controversy that overtook horror over the Newtown, CT school shooting, which had happened a few weeks previously.



According to the article, the paper has continued to seek the records and the county has continued to refuse.



"In other words, the legislature considered the purported concerns raised by Putnam, and determined that the public's right to know the names and addresses of permit holders should continue to be public records except where such holder has invoked SAFE Act procedures to be exempted from disclosure," the lawsuit said, according to the paper.



In January, Patch reported:

Led by State Sen. Greg Ball, Putnam officials are announcing that they will withhold records documenting the names and addresses of residents who possess pistol permits.

What some officials consider "standing up" for Putnam residents is a move that violates the law—and could lead to a court battle—according to Robert Freeman, executive director for the state Committee on Open Government. The Journal News, a Gannett newspaper, had filed a request for the information.