Mo. Revenue Director Brain Long has resigned, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon’s office announced Monday afternoon.

Long, who has served a short term of roughly four months as the State Revenue Director, steps down in the midst of controversy surrounding the state revenue department possibly selling personal information and giving out concealed weapons holders names to federal investigators.

The Missouri Legislature is also quizzing the Missouri State Highway Patrol for handing out more than 168,000 names of concealed weapon permit holders in the state to the Federal Social Security Administration.  The Social Security Administration and the head of the Missouri Highway Patrol have said Social Security workers were unable to access the information on the disc and it was ultimately destroyed.

In the meantime, Gov. Nixon named Revenue Department Deputy Director John Mollenkamp as the acting director.  No information has pinpointed an exact reason for Long’s resignation.

“I want to thank Brian for his service to the state of Missouri in heading up this department, and wish him well in his future endeavors,” Gov. Nixon said.

Mollenkamp, a native of Rolla, has served as Deputy Director of Revenue since 2011. Prior to taking that position, he was a clinical professor of law at Cornell Law School. Mollenkamp also served as an associate professor of legal writing at the University of Missouri School of Law. He was a Missouri assistant attorney general for several years, and also was in private practice in Joplin. 

Long had been named Director of Revenue in December 2012.