Former governor to take on AG in gun info fight

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan's legal battle with the state police over the release of the names of gun owners has taken an interesting turn with her appointing a former governor to fight her own office.

Former Gov. James Thompson says Madigan named him a special assistant attorney general. He'll be arguing that Madigan's office was wrong in determining the names of owners of Firearm Owner Identification cards must be made public, as requested by The Associated Press.

Thompson is representing the Illinois State Police, which has refused to turn over the information.

Thompson says he'll argue releasing the information would have a "chilling effect" because it would make people reluctant to buy or possess a gun or apply for a FOID card.