California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office has publicly released the names, addresses, and birthdates of judges and police officers who carry concealed weapons.
The security breach happened Monday when the California Department of Justice launched a firearms portal containing information on individuals who carry concealed weapons. Mixed in with the data was the personal information of people who work in the judicial system, the Reload reported.
The site has now been taken down, and a message reads: “Website temporarily unavailable. Please try again in a few minutes. We are working to bring the site back online as soon as possible.”
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Bonta promoted his new portal in a June 27 press release that said increased transparency is key to strengthening trust between the public and law enforcement.
“As news of tragic mass shootings continue to dominate the news cycle, leaving many with feelings of fear and uncertainty, we must do everything we can to prevent gun violence,” Bonta said in the release. “One of my continued priorities is to better provide information needed to help advance efforts that strengthen California’s commonsense gun laws.”
Bonta did not say how many people were listed in the database. However, the Reload said it reviewed the database from Los Angeles County and it had 2,891 people, including 244 judges with personal information exposed.
Bonta’s office issued a statement on Wednesday admitting the error but not disclosing how many law enforcement or judicial officials were affected. The list contained information on people who were both granted and denied permits spanning the time period of 2011 to 2021. The information did not include Social Security or financial information.
“This unauthorized release of personal information is unacceptable and falls far short of my expectations for this department,” Bonta said in a statement. “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.”
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Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill allowing the release of personal information belonging to gun purchasers to any university research center that requests it. This was done to study firearm-related violence in California.
“Vindictive sore loser bureaucrats have endangered people’s lives and invited conflict by illegally releasing confidential private information,” said California Rifle & Pistol Association President Chuck Michel. “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.”
