Missouri law enforcement officials are pushing back against an FBI plan to audit concealed carry permits in the state.
A couple of weeks ago, the FBI told several sheriffs’ offices throughout Missouri that federal officials will be showing up in August to conduct an audit, including of concealed carry permits. However, many in the state contend this is against Missouri law.
The FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division holds the largest collection of such data that’s shared by the nation’s law enforcement agencies, according to an FBI spokesperson.
This information is used to set policy and for security purposes. The FBI is responsible for ensuring compliance through a routine auditing program of all participating agencies which has been in place for years. The planned Missouri audit is to make sure there is no misuse of the system.
“We’re audited on a variety of criminal history records but I never have seen anything on (concealed carry permits),” said Buchanan County Sheriff Bill Puett.
“(Criminal history records) are audited to make sure that we’re not inappropriately releasing criminal history information,” he said.
The FBI states that at no point would the auditors require access to state-approved concealed carry permit holders or retain information beyond what is necessary to address compliance concerns.
Even if this is the case, Puett said his office will not be involved with the audit, as it violates Missouri law.
“They reached out to several sheriff’s offices to say that they wanted our CCW files,” he said. “Of course, that is prohibited by Missouri law, and the sheriffs are adamant that we’re going to protect our citizens’ rights because that’s what they voted for and that’s what we stand for.”
The Missouri law that protects the private information of concealed carry permit holders is statute 571.101.9(2), which states: “An applicant’s status as a holder of a concealed carry permit, provisional permit, or a concealed carry endorsement issued prior to August 28, 2013, shall not be public information and shall be considered personal protected information. Information retained in the concealed carry permit system under this subsection shall not be distributed to any federal, state, or private entities…”
“The FBI has absolutely no business poking around in the private information of those who have obtained a concealed carry permit in Missouri,” Schmitt said in a press release. “The Second Amendment rights of Missourians will absolutely not be infringed on my watch. I will use the full power of my office to stop the FBI, which has become relentlessly politicized and has virtually no credibility, from illegally prying around in the personal information of Missouri gun owners.”
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Thank you Eric Schmitt for doing what's right for the CCW people of Missouri.
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