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Nassau County District Attorney's Policy Barring Guns Prompts Debate

MINEOLA, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The now-changed restriction that had barred Nassau County prosecutors from keeping handguns, even at home, has touched off debate about whether prosecutors should be packing heat.

For nearly a decade, assistant district attorneys in Nassau County were barred from owning handguns. As part of the application process, prospective candidates needed to agree they wouldn't have a handgun, even at home.

Earlier this month, UCLA constitutional law professor Eugene Volokh wrote a blog post for the Washington Post that raised questions about whether the policy was constitutional and in line with the law. The policy and its surrounding controversy was the subject of several subsequent news stories, including a feature on Fox News.

Then last week, acting Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas loosened the policy, but it still prohibits prosecutors from carrying guns at work. The DA's office said that could be dangerous or discomfiting in a job known for sensitive, unpredictable situations.

But some other DAs say they let prosecutors carry guns precisely because their jobs can be dangerous to them. One upstate New York DA has even offered to pay for his prosecutors to apply for gun permits.

The episode has renewed attention to the risks prosecutors can face and how to protect them.

(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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