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Missouri violating privacy of concealed-carry applicants

By   /   March 6, 2013  /   6 Comments

PRIVACY: Residents and lawmakers think Missouri's Department of Revenue is invading it. (Photo Alan Cleaver.)

PRIVACY: Residents and lawmakers think Missouri’s Department of Revenue is invading it. (Photo Alan Cleaver.)

By Johnny Kampis | Missouri Watchdog

ST. LOUIS — Missouri residents obtaining concealed carry permits at license fee offices are being asked to provide personal information, an apparent violation of state law.

A Missouri Watchdog investigation found that software provided by a private company used to scan such documents as driver’s licenses is widespread in the Show-Me State.

Rep. Todd Richardson, R-Poplar Bluff, filed a bill late Tuesday that would prohibit the state Department of Revenue from collecting personal information and sending it to an out-of-state database.

His bill is in response to a lawsuit filed Monday in Stoddard County, where a resident was told that he couldn’t get his concealed-carry permit unless he allowed fee office workers to scan his driver’s license and application, which, his attorney said, is clearly breaking state statute.

“What is going on is improper and is a new and illegal impediment to citizens’ rights to obtain a concealed-carry permit,” said Stoddard County prosecutor Russell Oliver, who is acting as the private attorney for plaintiff Eric Griffin.

The state statute governing the actions of the Department of Revenue forbids it from disclosing such personal information as photographs, driver’s license numbers, names and addresses without express consent.

In investigating the matter, Oliver said, he discovered that a third-party company — Morphotrust — licenses the equipment. On its website, the company says it’s a partner with all states and many federal agencies in providing “identity solutions” “to simplify, protect and secure the lives of the American people.”

Oliver said he’s not sure how long the Morphotrust scanning machines have been in place or how far-reaching they are in Missouri license fee offices. Stoddard County is in the southeast corner of the state.

“This is new, at least it’s new to us,” said Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, who joined Oliver at the Capitol in announcing the lawsuit.

Watchdog made anonymous calls Wednesday to license fee offices around Missouri to determine who’s using the software.

“Everybody in the state is,” said an employee at the Affton office in St. Louis County.

When Watchdog asked her what they do with the information after it’s scanned, she replied, “We’re not allowed to answer questions like that” and referred us to the Department of Revenue.

Ted Farnen, DOR communications director,  could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday. A DOR spokesman has told other media outlets its operations are “not inconsistent with the statutory protocols.”

A worker in the Sedalia office said Morphotrust just provides the equipment, and is not receiving the personal information of Missourians.

“It’s not sent to the company. It’s sent to the state.”

Watchdog tried to reach Morphotrust on Wednesday to determine whether the company is able to access Missourians’ data, but  we did not receive a return call from the media relations department.

Missouri officials certainly think they can.


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Oliver and Kinder said the DOR may be collecting the information to comply with the federal Real ID Act of 2005, but they said the state opted out of that law and instead implemented its own in response.

Oliver said fee office agents are supposed to inspect the documents for compliance and then hand them back, without collecting the information.

“Statute clearly makes the application itself personal, protected, private information,” Oliver said. “It is being uploaded to at least one third party, this private company, and from there we don’t know where it’s going.”

Rep. Jay Barnes, R-Jefferson City, said the House Committee on Government Oversight and Accountability will look into the issue.

“Data information is vital to individual freedom in the digital age and our committee will ensure that Missourians’ personal information is protected from unlawful disclosures,” Barnes said in a released statement.

House Speaker Tim Jones said he would fast-track Richardson’s bill.

“This is a priority issue we want to address as expeditiously as possible,” he said. “Missourians have an expectation that their personal information will remain private.”

Contact Johnny Kampis at johnny@missouriwatchdog.org. For more Missouri Watchdog updates, visit Facebook and Twitter, or sign up for a free newsletter.

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Johnny Kampis

  • aaronbbrown

    Yes, God forbid we should collect information on the people are carrying Concealed firearms among us. Let’s just handout concealed firearm permits Anonymously to everyone who asks for them, And when they shoot somebody on the street For some perceived slight, the police should be prevented from stopping or detaining them in anyway. I feel so safe here in St. Louis, where everyone has a gun concealed on their person and starts Firing dozens of rounds whenever they feel the slightest threat.

  • awill

    Aaronbbrown: a tiny bit of an overreaction, don’t you think?

    When was the last time any CCW holder in MO shot someone, let alone dozens of rounds, whenever they feel the slightest threat?

    Your comments show your ignorance on the hours of training and studying needed to obtain a CCW in MO, in addition to background checks, etc.

    The crime rate in EVERY SINGLE state with CCW has gone down, directly as a result of CCW laws.
    Instead of your diatribe, thank the next stable, trained CCW permit holder who protects your life someday, when it is threatened by someone who uses any weapon (a gun, knife, strangulation cord, whatever) not permitted by CCW. They are the ones you need to direct your anger at.

  • 52gonzo

    aaronbrown, you are dead wrong. These ccw permits ARE NOT, I repeat…ARE NOT, handed out willy nilly. There is a class that you HAVE to go and take, there are background checks done on ANYONE that is wanting to pursue getting their ccw. They are ONLY issued to people that meet the requirements. There are people that take the class that can’t get theirs. In other words, there is a certain criteria that you HAVE to meet to be able to get yours. I feel safer around people that do have their permits, because they are schooled on how and when to use their guns than the lowlifes that go out and buy them, under the radar, for criminal intent, and go out into the world to use them to intimidate, rob, rape…and so on. CCW holders are legal, law abiding people that are intelligent enough to get the training that is needed to protect themselves, and people around them in certain circumstances, maybe you included at some point in your life. ” I feel so safe here in St. Louis, where everyone has a gun concealed on
    their person and starts Firing dozens of rounds whenever they feel the
    slightest threat.” Hot heads that will go off firing dozens of rounds whenever they feel the slights threat are filtered out in their training and schooling to receive their permits. The information that is collected and scanned, and sent off to places unknown is an invasion of YOURS and my privacy. I just had my drivers license renewed and guess what, my documents were scanned and sent off just the same way. I haven’t fully researched just yet, but you can count on the fact that I will, I have read that in these new drivers licenses, there is a chip in those also. I have not been even pulled over on a traffic violation is probably 30 yrs. I have no police record of any kind, have been a law abiding, peaceful person all my life….I think that YOURS and my tax money could go to better things (like maybe tracking criminals) than trying to track me and getting these people that do pose a threat off out streets.

  • Don

    Same,same,same only a Liberal with a the hatred of free people would be so ignorant. I got a friend of mind that used to live in ST Louis now lives in the suburbs that I used go and see once in a while only a few hours away from SW MO. and any way their are shootings there just about every nite most not reported, and they are not by licensed people with firearms, most of the cops are as dependable as our current Government, most likely why the State of MO.over sees the Police dept.Wake up aaon check the facts and get your nose out of the dictators rear and act like a man instead of a wimpy loser that does what told and smell the fresh air.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1580460779 Jami Flynn

    Aaron, you really should know what you are talking about before you go rattling off crap that’s not true. CCW permit holders are trained and have passed extensive training classes in order to know how to keep them and every innocent person around them safe should they ever have to use their weapon. And not only that, they are as committed to their target practice than a lot of cops are. So please, before you open your mouth make sure you’re not going to end up having your foot in it.

  • aaronbbrown

    Really, do you have a state of Missouri concealed weapon permit, do you Own any firearms? Do you have any idea what you’re talking about? Wait I already know the answer to that question. No state does extensive training of concealed weapon permit applicants, unless you’re idea of extensive training is being able to hit a man sized target from 14 feet away 75% of the time.
    http://www.missouricarry.com/apply-for-permit/training-syllabus/

    Pretty obvious that none of the other commenters here have ever applied for a concealed weapon permit nor do they know anything about it either.

    But this thread is not about that, this thread is about the application, no surprise some people can’t stick to the subject when they are being ginned up by their corporate owned political representatives, who have no interest whatsoever in protecting their gun rights, their only interest is protecting the gun manufacturers rights to sell hundreds of millions of guns to anyone they please.

    I’ve owned firearms all my life, started shooting when I was five, and I’ve concluded that the vast majority of people who have firearms are by no stretch of the imagination either competent enough to use them in an emergency situation, nor are they emotionally stable enough to be trusted with a firearm in even everyday stressful situations, let alone a life-and-death one.

    I don’t know Any responsible person who would be interested in seeing concealed weapon permits handed out irresponsibly, without keeping track of the people who have them.