The National Rifle Association (NRA) is formulating its legal strategy in response to the “despicable” actions of the California Department of Justice that doxed every legal gun owner in the state by releasing their personal information.
“The actions by the California DOJ are completely despicable and unacceptable,” said the head of the NRA’s western region, Dan Reid, in an interview with Fox News Digital.
“They have placed lives at risk including vulnerable individuals with abusive exes and stalkers,” Reid noted.
The leak occurred on Monday at the launch of a new database by the Attorney General’s office that was intended to “increase public trust between law enforcement and the communities we serve.” Instead, public trust in the office plummeted after a “massive trove” of personal information was reportedly available for nearly 24 hours after OpenJusticeDataPlatform went live with the 2022 Firearms Dashboard Portal.
Supposedly inadvertently, the downloadable files were available through the mapping feature of the website and included the full name, home address and date of birth of concealed carry permit holders in the state, including 244 judges and 420 reserve officers in Los Angeles County alone.
Calif. DOJ data breach exposes ‘massive trove’ of private info on state’s gun owners https://t.co/wzP0cD5QIy pic.twitter.com/6psTNsv4W7
— Conservative News (@BIZPACReview) June 29, 2022
Although reports indicate Social Security numbers and financial information were not exposed, the breach appears to be in direct violation of California Government Code section 6254.21 which explicitly states that “No state or local agency shall post the home address of any elected or appointed official, or the official’s residing spouse or child on the Internet without first obtaining the written permission of that individual.”
Reid vowed to take legal action against the security breach that left California gun owners vulnerable to nefarious actors.
“When the legislature foolishly, and perhaps maliciously, mandated that gun owners’ personal information be turned over to researchers last year, the NRA objected and took action in court,” Reid recalled, adding, “Rest assured, the NRA will be taking further legal action in light of the recent leak to ensure accountability whether the actions by DOJ were the result of malice or extreme negligence.”
Gun Owners of America executive director Sam Paredes called for California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s resignation over the incident.
He “is either massively incompetent, incredibly negligent, or willing to criminally leak information that he does not have the authority to leak,” Paredes said. “This is so egregious that he should resign. He has placed tens of thousands of abiding citizens in California in harm’s way. That is not excusable with an ‘I’m sorry.’”
In a statement on Wednesday, Bonta said, “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,”
Eric Early, 2022 candidate for California Attorney General condemned the office’s negligence on social media.
“Since day 1 @RobBonta has shown contempt for 2A rights,” Early wrote on social media. “His DOJ employs ideologues capable of knowingly/maliciously leaking gun owner info ala Supr. Ct. leak.”
“They can’t be trusted to investigate themselves,” he added.
Since day 1 @RobBonta has shown contempt for 2A rights. His DOJ employs ideologues capable of knowingly/maliciously leaking gun owner info ala Supr. Ct leak.
They can’t be trusted to investigate themselves.
The feckless Rs in CA Legis must demand strict oversight of this.
— 𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗖 𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗟𝗬 (@EricEarly_CA) June 30, 2022
While California gun owners are reeling from the wreckless breach of privacy, perhaps its no surprise that instead of working to rectify the situation and ensure that gun owners do not become targets due to the breach, Bonta took time out of his day to tweet on the last day of Pride month.
To close out #PrideMonth, we asked our employees what Pride means to them and why they fight for justice at CADOJ.
Supervising Deputy Attorney General Steven Muni has been in the fight for justice and equality for decades.
He brings this experience to his work today. pic.twitter.com/dh9qdZ9EmK
— Rob Bonta (@AGRobBonta) June 30, 2022
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