The California Attorney General’s office leaked sensitive information on thousands of gun owners and concealed carry license holders on Jun. 27.
Publicly-accessible files with identifying information were included on the state Department of Justice’s 2022 Firearms Dashboard Portal, which went live that day. The files, which could be downloaded through a button on the graphics, included gun owners’ names, addresses, and dates of birth, according to reporting by The Reload.
California appears to have leaked the names, addresses, and ages of every person in the state who holds a concealed carry permit. That includes judges, cops, and regular civilians.
I was able to review the Los Angeles data and it’s extensive. https://t.co/uiooUyFv5A
— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) June 28, 2022
Website visitors could also access and download information for 244 judges and 420 law enforcement officers.
The report showed 2,891 individuals in Los Angeles with standard firearm licenses had their personal information compromised by the leak.
Shortly after news of the leak broke, the California Rifle & Pistol Association (CPRA) wrote on Twitter, “BREAKING: In the aftermath of the NYSRPA ruling, the CA AG’s office has ‘accidentally’ released personally identifying information about all CA CCW holders. Much more to come on this!”
BREAKING: In the aftermath of the NYSRPA ruling, the CA AG’s office has “accidentally” released personally identifying information about all CA CCW holders. Much more to come on this! pic.twitter.com/BNNfRAk72p
— CRPA: California Rifle & Pistol Association (@CRPAnews) June 28, 2022
The gun rights organization was referencing a recent Supreme Court decision in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen. New York’s firearm licensing laws required anyone who wanted to carry a concealed gun outside of their home to show “just cause” in order to be approved for a license. The Court, in a 6-3 ruling, deemed this to be unconstitutional. California was among seven states that had this restriction in place.
CRPA also said it was considering pursuing legal action against the state.
“Vindictive sore loser bureaucrats have endangered people’s lives and invited conflict by illegally releasing confidential private information,” Chuck Michel, CRPA President, told The Reload. “CRPA is working with several legislators and sheriffs to determine the extent of the damage caused by DOJ’s doxing of law abiding gun owners. Litigation is likely.”
The state AG’s office confirmed the leak did occur and said they were addressing the matter internally.
“We are investigating an exposure of individuals’ personal information connected to the DOJ Firearms Dashboard,” a spokesperson for the office told The Reload. “Any unauthorized release of personal information is unacceptable. We are working swiftly to address this situation and will provide additional information as soon as possible.”
The website link to the state’s firearms report was disabled shortly after the leak was reported.
