Whom you’d want to get a hold of these records
Ohio Democratic Party unsuccessfully tries to get gun records
The Ohio Democratic Party tried unsuccessfully this week to get information on all people licensed to carry concealed weapons in the Buckeye State.
The state party sent letters to Ohio’s 88 sheriffs requesting the names and addresses of permit holders and the dates the licenses were issued. Ohio has about 211,000 permit holders.
But neither the Democrats nor any other political party can get that information. The records are exempt from the public record laws. The only public access was given to journalists when then-Gov. Bob Taft signed the law in 2004.
Lorain County Sheriff Phil Stammitti, a Democrat, denied the request Friday.
“I must also advise you that the information you are requesting is NOT a public record and CANNOT be released,” Stammitti wrote in a letter to the party.
The Democrats intended to target people who support the Second Amendment — the constitutional right to bear arms — with campaign information, said party spokesman, Seth Bringman.
The party learned the information was not public and then sent a second letter apologizing to the 88 sheriffs.
Their request should have included a demand that the Sheriff arrive at their HQ and slap the person who thought up the idea.
That list would have spent about 2 minutes in party hands before the ACORN and SEUI thugs got to use it for a shopping list.