One sheriff out of Missouri, along with the attorney general for the state, is telling the FBI that they will refuse to comply with any audits that they think will infringe on the privacy of gun owners.
Reportedly, state leaders have been informed by agents at the FBI that they are slated to audit a group of 24 counties in Missouri about Concealed Carry Weapon information this coming month. Bryan Whitney, the Sheriff of Scotland County, and Eric Schmitt, the state’s Attorney General (AG), both of which are Republicans, state that they will not let that happen if they have any say in the issue.
“As the sheriff of Scotland County, I want all my citizens to know that I will not allow, cooperate or release any CCW information to the FBI, ‘even at the threat of a federal arrest,’” explained Whitney to his community via a letter released this past Monday, as reported by Fox News Digital.
“Point Blank, ‘I will go down with the ship if need be,’” expressed the Sheriff.
Schmitt spoke about the coming audits this past week via a strongly-worded letter addressed to the director of the FBI, Christopher Wray, making a demand that the agency “cease their attempts to illegally obtain information from local sheriffs on Missourians who have concealed carry permits.”
“The FBI has absolutely no business poking around in the private information of those who have obtained a concealed carry permit in Missouri,” expressed Schmitt. “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.”
“Let me be perfectly clear,” stated Schmitt within the letter addressed to Director Wray. “Allowing federal agents from the FBI to have access to records of Missourians who have a permit to carry a concealed weapon violates Missouri law and infringes on our Second Amendment rights.”
Via a press release, the AG highlighted RSMo. Section 571.101.9: “Information retained in the concealed carry permit system under this subsection shall not be distributed to any federal, state, or private entities …”
In the same vein, the AG “promises to use the full power of his Office to stop the FBI’s attempts to obtain information on Missouri concealed carry weapons permit holders,” stated the press release.
Whitney explained to Fox News Digital that he is getting ready to move all CCW paperwork to a secure area if the FBI showed up with a federal-level search warrant.
The FBI thinks that its audits will not “require access to lists such as state approved concealed carry holders.”
“At no point would auditors require access to lists such as state approved concealed carry holders, nor would the CJIS Division retain information beyond what is necessary to address a specific compliance concern,” explained the FBI to Fox News Digital, stating that the agency has “been through this routine audit multiple times, most recently in 2018.”