California's capital city of SACRAMENTO The agency mistakenly made public the personal information of hundreds of thousands of gun owners in up to six state-operated databases.
Rob Bonta, the Democrat who heads the agency and is running for reelection in November, said he was "deeply disturbed and angered" by the failure to protect the information his department is tasked to keep He promised to fix the problem.
He said that the unauthorized release of personal information is unacceptable.
The release came days after the U.S. Supreme Court threw out New York's requirement that people carrying concealed weapons give a reason. California's requirement was derailed by that as well as new requirements being imposed.
The release included information on law enforcement officials, judges, and others who had sought permits like rape and domestic violence victims.
The names, dates of birth, gender, race, driver's license numbers, addresses and criminal histories of people who were granted or denied permits to carry concealed weapons were exposed. Financial information was not disclosed.
The department said that the state's assault weapon registry, handguns certified for sale, dealer record of sale, firearm certificate safety and Gun Violence Restraining Order dashboards were affected. The officials were looking into the extent to which personal information was exposed.
The information on concealed carry permits was made public on a spreadsheet for less than a day before the website was shut down.
The president of the California State Sheriffs' Association said it was "insulting" that people who had complied with the law had been put at risk. The risk it poses to permit holders is something the sheriffs are worried about.
When the public website would be restored, Bonta's office could not say how many people were in each database. According to information on the state Department of Justice's website, the number of concealed carry permits issued in California decreased last year.
Many women who want to carry concealed weapons do so because they fear for their lives and safety, according to a Republican state senator. This careless act of bureaucratic idiocy will cause those women to worry that the person they least wanted to see may have just been given their address.
Bonta said he immediately began an investigation into how the release happened.
The release may cause stress, and the department will inform people whose information was exposed. Credit monitoring will be provided for those people.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
