Gun rights group fires back at California AG's reported leak of firearm owners data: 'He should resign'

[Rob is ultra liberal]

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gun-rights-group-california-ags-reported-
leak-firearm-owners-data-he-should-resign

The office of California's Attorney General Rob Bonta released the
personal information of thousands of California gun owners and concealed
carry permit holders to the public this week, and Second Amendment
activists see it as a major breach of privacy.

Sam Paredes, executive director of Gun Owners of California, told Fox News
Wednesday that the release of information was either negligent or
potentially criminal.

"We believe that AG Rob Bonta 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 harms way. That is not
excusable with an 'I'm sorry.'"

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The Democratic attorney general, appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last year,
announced in a press release Monday that the new portal was created to
"improve transparency and information sharing for firearms-related data."

In Monday's press release, the state's DOJ claimed they sought to protect
"the personal identifying information in the data the Department collects
and maintains," however, large amounts of personal information on gun
owners were released.

The leak was first reported by gun news outlet The Reload Tuesday, just
days after the Supreme Court's consequential Second Amendment ruling.

The information, taken from the state's database of concealed carry permit
holders, included the thousands of gun owners full name, date of birth,
home address, race, when their concealed carry permit was issued, and what
type of permit it was. The Reload reportedly found in the LA County
database that around 420 reserve officers and 244 judges were also among
those who had their information leaked Monday.

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The information was posted in the California Department of Justice's 2022
Firearms Dashboard Portal, a website that is now "temporarily
unavailable."

The California Attorney Generals Office did not immediately respond to Fox
News' request for comment regarding the data leak. Legal action could
potentially be taken against the state and those involved, as a result of
the shocking breach.

A spokesperson from the AG's office told Newsweek, "We are investigating
an exposure of individuals' personal information connected to the DOJ
Firearms Dashboard. Any unauthorized release of personal information is
unacceptable. We are working swiftly to address this situation and will
provide additional information as soon as possible."

Paredes said his organization is working "to figure out what legal matters
we can take, but unless the AG is willing to send people who can protect
those who have had their data breached, there is not much else they can
do."

The private information has since been taken down but raises major concern
as the midterm elections approach.

In the primary election earlier this month, incumbent Bonta advanced to
represent his party this November, alongside GOP candidate Nathan Hochman.

It is unknown whether the leak was an intentional strike or simply an
accident from the California DOJ's office, after last week's SCOTUS
opinion sparked major controversy across the country.

The Supreme Court decided to strike down the New York gun law that put
unconstitutional restrictions on who qualified for a concealed carry
permit, ultimately making it more accessible for civilians to carry a
weapon for self defense.