“[The Missouri] Department of Revenue [DoR] is working with the Department of Homeland Security to install new hard and software to obtain data on Missouri citizens and transfer this information to DHS and unnamed third parties.” Well they were until Missouri Lt. Governor Peter Kinder filed a Temporary Restraining Order against the DoR. [Press release after the jump] The move follows a complaint from Show Me State resident Eric Griffin. When Griffin went to renew his Concealed Carry Weapons permit, the Department of Revenue [DoR] refused to issue same unless he surrendered ID documents for their records. Griffin brought his complaint to Kinder. It’s possible the practice is repeated in other states, as part of the Real ID law. Let us know if you’ve bumped-up against and we’ll keep you posted . . .

Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder backs fee office

lawsuit in Stoddard County

Legal action taken against fee offices over privacy concerns

JEFFERSON CITY – Lt. Governor Peter Kinder today hosted a press conference in the Capitol to announce a lawsuit filed over the collection and scanning of private documents by the Missouri Department of Revenue for residents seeking concealed carry gun permits.

The lawsuit was filed Monday by Russ Oliver in Stoddard County. Oliver is Stoddard County’s prosecuting attorney. He filed the lawsuit as a private attorney on behalf of Eric Griffin.

“I fully support Mr. Oliver in this important legal action in Stoddard County Circuit Court,” Kinder said. “This case has issues of statewide importance implicating serious privacy concerns for law-abiding citizens. These folks have followed the letter of the law and been approved for concealed carry by the proper authorities. They must not be required to share that information with any third parties or the federal government.”

Oliver said Mr. Griffin went to his local Department of Motor Vehicles fee office after passing the application process for a concealed carry gun permit. When he refused to let DMV employees scan some of his documentation, he was denied the permit.

Oliver said Griffin acted within his rights. He said the Department of Revenue apparently installed new computer equipment to record the information as part of the federal Real ID Act of 2005.

But state laws prohibit the department from retaining and collecting these types of documents and from complying with that portion of the Real ID Act. The data the DOR collected was being forwarded to Morpho Trust U.S.A., a Georgia company that specializes in partnering with state and federal governmental agencies.

“There are important privacy concerns for concealed carry holders who justly fear their information being sent to a third party or the federal government,” Oliver said. “Missouri law makes it clear that what is going on here is illegal, and serves no legitimate purpose since the county sheriff is solely charged with the duty of determining applicants’ eligibility for the endorsement.”

The lawsuit seeks a temporary restraining order to stop the Department of Revenue from collecting and sharing the private data and declare their actions unlawful.