JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri (PNN) - July 23, 2022 - A Missouri sheriff said he told the FBI that he won’t comply with audits regarding Missouri counties’ concealed carry permit information.

Scotland County Sheriff Bryan Whitney said in public statements that his department won’t comply with the bureau’s audit.

“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,” Whitney wrote in a July 18 letter, referring to concealed carry weapons permits.

“Point Blank, I will go down with the ship if need be.”

The FBI previously told Fox News that its audits won’t “require access to lists such as state-approved concealed carry holders.” It described the audit as “routine” and something that has been done before in the state of Missouri.

“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,” the FBI stated, noting that the bureau has “been through this​ routine audit multiple times, most recently in 2018.”

FBI officials refused to return a request for comment by press time.

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, who is running for governor, issued a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray, telling the bureau chief to stop 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,” Schmitt wrote. “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.”

Several weeks ago, the Kalifornia Department of InJustice leaked the private information of thousands of concealed carry permit holders in the state after it unveiled a new dashboard portal website, according to gun rights groups.