Gun Owners' Personal Info Leak Outrages California Sheriffs

Sheriff's in California expressed anger this week after personal information belonging to gun owners in the state was accidentally leaked to the public.

"It is infuriating that people who have been complying with the law have been put at risk by this breach," California State Sheriffs' Association President and Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said in a statement on Wednesday. "California's sheriffs are very concerned about this data breach and the risk it poses to California's CCW permit holders."

The statement by the California State Sheriffs' Association comes shortly after the state's Department of Justice announced that shortly after launching its Firearms Dashboard Portal this week, gun owner's personal information was wrongly released.

In a statement on Wednesday, the California Department of Justice said that the accidental leak included information on residents who were either granted or denied a conceal carry permit in the state from 2011 to 2021.

"Information exposed included names, date of birth, gender, race, driver's license number, addresses, and criminal history. Social Security numbers or any financial information were not disclosed as a result of this event," the state's justice department said in a statement. "DOJ is investigating the extent to which any personally identifiable information could have been exposed from those dashboards and will report additional information as soon as confirmed."

The new Firearms Dashboard Portal was launched on Monday, July 27, however the leak occurred shortly after. On Tuesday morning, the Firearms Dashboard Portal was shut down by the state's Department of Justice as well as the gun owner's personal information. According to the state's DOJ, the personal information was available for the public to see for less than a full day.

In addition to the California State Sheriffs' Association, several other officials in California expressed anger and concern over the leak.

According to KTLA News, the Los Angeles Police Protective League Board of Directors issued a statement saying, "The personal safety of law enforcement officers and their families are already at increased risk due to the nature of their job.… Any disclosure of personal information is extremely troubling, and we are hopeful that this information is not used to harm officers."

California Attorney General Rob Bonta also issued a statement following the leak saying, "this unauthorized release of personal information is unacceptable and falls far short of my expectations for this department."

"I immediately launched an investigation into how this occurred at the California Department of Justice and will take strong corrective measures where necessary. The California Department of Justice is entrusted to protect Californians and their data. We acknowledge the stress this may cause those individuals whose information was exposed. I am deeply disturbed and angered," Bonta added.