Government Confused on what is "PUBLIC"

An anonymous reader writes

"Copyright law has previously been used by some states to try to prevent people from passing around copies of their own government's laws. But in a new level of meta-absurdity, the attorney general of Oregon is claiming copyright over a state-produced guide to using public-records laws. That isn't sitting well with one frequent user of the laws, who has posted a copy of the guide to his website and is daring the AG to respond. The AG, who previously pledged to improve responses to public-records requests, has not responded yet."

The challenger here is University of Oregon Professor Bill Harbaugh.

My question is,
If it is PUBLIC, like the PUBLIC RECORD, or PUBLIC LAW, or *A*N*Y*T*H*I*N*G* paid for by TAX dollars, How can Anyone claim it is Copyright? Or subject to DMCA?

That is like telling you that it is trespassing to go on public lands...