Investigation Reveals: Mo. Highway Patrol Gave Feds Confidential List of Concealed Carry Gun Permit Holders
There’s
an investigation unfolding in Missouri after it was revealed that the
Missouri State Highway Patrol handed over concealed carry data to
federal authorities. On at least two occasions – the latest of which was
January — weapons data was delivered to the feds, according to an
article published in the Columbia Daily Tribune.
In
looking into the matter, officials noted that in Nov. 2011 and this
past January, the patrol asked for the entire list of 185,000 concealed
carry residents from the state’s Division of Motor Vehicle and Driver
Licensing. Then, this information was apparently shared beyond the
state’s boundaries.
This
new information came out during hearings to investigate a revised
driver licensing system, substantiating fears that gun information has
been shared with federal officials.
A
handgun sits in the holster that belongs to a law enforcement officer
during a news conference July 26, 2012 at the National Press Club in
Washington, DC. The news conference was to announce a call for expanding
background checks for firearm purchasers and banning high-capacity
ammunition magazines. Credit: Getty Images
Under
state law, concealed weapon permit holders are confidential. As the
Tribune notes, the only place where owners’ identities are stored is in
driver license records. Those with a permit also have a special mark on
their licenses pinpointing this designation.
State Sen.
Kurt Schaefer, a Republican, has been looking into the new licenses and
he is at the center of the discussion and investigation surrounding the
handing over of information; the information about the highway patrol’s
data sharing came out during questioning in the state’s Senate
Appropriations Committee.
According to Schaefer, he was told that the list was given to federal authorities by the state highway patrol.
“Apparently
from what I understand, they wanted to match up anyone who had a mental
diagnosis or disability with also having a concealed carry license,”
the senator explained. “What I am told is there is no written request
for that information.”
Scharfer
plans to push Col. Ron Replogle, superintendent of the Missouri State
Highway Patrol, for additional answers during a hearing being held on
Thursday morning. The Tribune has more about the concealed carry permit delivery to feds:
The patrol responded by confirming that it had shared the list of concealed weapons holders with federal authorities.“The information was provided to law enforcement for law enforcement investigative purposes,” Capt. Tim Hull wrote in an email response to questions from the Tribune.The only way to obtain the full list is through a special request. Only law enforcement is supposed to have access to concealed carry information and then only on an individual basis. When a law enforcement officer looks up an individual’s driving record, it shows whether they have a concealed carry endorsement.
Credit: AP
Schaefer
has a plethora of questions about the data and why it was given to
federal authorities. Of particular note, he’s wondering where the list
ended up going once it reached the feds and how the request was granted
in the first place.
“I
want to know who all was involved in this transaction because if this
is just some phone call saying give me the list of all concealed carry
holders, how did the person at the patrol who fulfilled that request
know who was at the other end of the phone?,” the senator asked. “How
did they know where to send it? How did they know what it was being used
for?”
Considering how mental illness could be playing into confiscation efforts in states like New York, this story and others like it are increasingly important to explore.
(H/T: Columbia Daily Tribune)
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