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Mo. official hesitant to stop copying gun permits

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~Steve Z~
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Some Missouri senators are pressing the state's driver's license agency to stop collecting documents from people with concealed gun permits.

But the head of the agency said Wednesday he's reluctant to halt the practice.

Since December, clerks in Missouri's local license offices have been making electronic copies of concealed weapons permits for a state database of driver's license applicants. Concealed gun endorsements are noted on driver's licenses.

Some Republican lawmakers have expressed concern about the document database. During a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing Wednesday, Chairman Kurt Schaefer asked the Revenue Department to stop making and keeping copies of concealed gun permits.

Revenue Director Brian Long said he's unwilling to commit to that, because the scanned documents provide protection against fraud. But Long also said he will consider it further.

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