Chris Jacobs will not release pistol permit data

ERIE COUNTY — Erie County Clerk Chris Jacobs announced that he will not release the records of more than 75,000 pistol permit holders in Erie County.

Jacobs recently received a Freedom of Information request from The Buffalo News, asking for “all active pistol permit holders in Erie County, including, but not limited to, name and address.”

According to Jacobs, that FOI request came, soon after a downstate New York paper obtained and published all pistol permit holders in Rockland and Westchester counties, in the form of an interactive Google® map.

“I will exhaust every legal avenue available, to keep the records of registered gun owners private, because I believe such disclosure could endanger the life and safety of our citizens,” Jacobs said. “As an elected official, that will always be my first priority.”

Representatives from The Buffalo News said that they have no intention of creating such a map, but desire the data for other purposes. “This recent statement by the news does not change my position on the matter,” Jacobs said.