GUN OWNERS OF CALIFORNIA RESPONDS TO DANGEROUS DOJ DATA LEAK

It was bad on Tuesday.

But when all the facts were discovered on Wednesday, the bad became downright diabolical.

On June 28, 2022, it was reported that California gun owners have been put at risk by the Attorney General’s office after a new “dashboard” disclosed the personal data of every CCW holder in the state.

Wednesday’s revelation, however, revealed additional stunning information:  in addition to data on all CCW holders and applicants for the past 10 years, the Assault Weapon Registry was also made public as was the entire Dealer Record of Sale Database (that's everyone who has purchased or sold a firearm in California,), individuals with Firearm Safety Certificates, and those who are on the Gun Violence Restraining Order list. 

In response, Gun Owners of California Executive Director Sam Paredes said “Attorney General Rob Bonta is either grossly negligent, completely incompetent or criminally liable. If this is his idea of increasing public trust, we’re screwed. For endangering the lives of 100s of thousands of law-abiding Californians, Bonta should resign.” 

The California State Sheriffs’ Association released a statement Wednesday expressing alarm at the release of so much private information.

“It is infuriating that people who have been complying with the law have been put at risk by this breach,” CSSA President and Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said in a prepared statement. “California’s sheriffs are very concerned about this data breach and the risk it poses to California’s CCW permit holders.”

Sheriff Honea is right; CCW holders are among the most law-abiding subsection of people in the entire country. This is a fact, however, that is routinely ignored by Leftist politicians and the media. According to California's Department of Justice, the leak impacted applications from 2011 to 2021 and includes "names, date of  birth, gender, race, driver's license number, addresses, and criminal history."

Let’s be clear:  this was not a breach; it was a leak. No bad actor broke into the DOJ system to access the information. The DOJ, either through incompetence or with malicious intent leaked the data. This violation of trust has far-reaching consequences as it impacts people who have firearms in their home and those who don’t. It’s like a neon sign advertising “there’s guns here to steal” and the flip side is “this home is unarmed and vulnerable.  Hundreds of thousands of Californians have been put in harm’s way in the very place where they should feel the most safe:  their homes. 

On Wednesday June 29,2022, Attorney General Bonta issued a press release in which he updated the depth and breadth of the data leak. The statement was tantamount to a “gee I’m sorry” or a “my bad” confession. The AG is offering access to software that affected individuals can use to protect from identity theft and recommended that everyone contact the three major credit bureaus to put a freeze on their credit reports. That’s it.  This offers little comfort to those whose private data has been exposed on the internet, never to be retrieved or removed.  In essence, Bonta offered a Band-Aid to cover a bullet wound.

It’s important to note that judges, prosecutors and reserve law enforcement officers are among those whose private identifying information has been made public; such high-profile people have every reason to protect their addresses from vindictive criminals.   We must not, however, ignore that there are thousands of vulnerable individuals who have now been potentially exposed to their abusers.  GOC has been flooded with phone calls from people who are primarily concerned that their home addresses and private information has been revealed. Regardless of whether someone is high profile or not, everyone has the same right of privacy and must be equally protected under the law.  The DOJ data leak was a massive breakdown in public trust that could have very real life or death implications. 

Any semblance of trust that gun owners may have had in the Department of Justice has long evaporated, but with this latest failure, it’s been irreparably damaged.  Attorney General Rob Bonta should take responsibility and resign.

GOC is in the process of determining what legal avenues can be pursued.  At this point, unless the AG is willing to step up and protect those who have had their data leaked, there is not much else they can do. To that end, GOC recommends that gun owners throughout the state exercise particular caution in their home protection strategies.

TO EXPRESS YOUR OUTRAGE AT THIS LEAK OF PRIVATE DATA, CONSIDER CALLING:

Attorney General Rob Bonta | Department of Justice:  (800) 952-5225  Press “4” or call (916) 445-9555

Governor Gavin Newsom: Phone: (916) 445-2841 Press “6”

Your Legislator: Click HERE to “Find My Legislator”