Concealed carry permit information was sent to multiple federal government agencies

The controversy continues to grow over the Department of Revenue scanning and collecting data to send to government agencies. State senators found emails from the Social Security Administration (SSA) to the Highway Patrol asking for a list of everyone that holds a concealed carry weapons permit in the state of Missouri.

For weeks senators were trying to figure out where the information was being sent to. Just last week, they learned the SSA requested the documents two separate times. The first was in November 2011 and the second was this past January. Leaders from the Department of Revenue, Department of Public Safety, and the highway patrol testified in front of a Senate committee saying they didn’t know if the information was given to any agency outside of the SSA. According to the emails senators found, all knew in 2011.

The request from this past January was clear that it was a joint request along with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

“So the question here is, who is the gate keeper of Missourians private information, and again not only when it comes to their second amendment rights, but all the additional information the department of revenue is now requiring,” Senator Kurt Schaefer, R-Columbia, explains.

Senators knew during testimony the information was put on a disc. They were advised the information could not be read because it was encrypted. In the emails they found, the information was protected by a password only. Senators say the password was written on a piece of paper that was placed inside the package.

Schaefer says they want to talk with the SSA in front of a Senate committee. They sent a letter Tuesday requesting that. Schaefer also wants to talk with ATF officials to see what or if they did anything with the information.