A state Department of Justice data breach exposed key personal information of every Concealed Carry Weapons (CCW) permit holder in California, officials said Tuesday.
The information included the name, address, age, Criminal Identification Index (CII) number and license type of every CCW permit holder in the state, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
The breach transpired after the state launched its “2022 Firearms Dashboard Portal” on Monday. The website was made to increase the “transparency and information sharing for firearms-related data.”
The website was taken down following the breach, but it is unknown how long the information was available online and there are concerns it was copied and circulated publicly, according to the sheriff’s office.
The Reload said it found 244 judge permits in the database with all of their personal information listed, along with seven custodial officers, 63 people with a place of employment permit, and 420 reserve officers. Nearly 3,000 people in Los Angeles County with standard licenses had their data breached as well, although some entries were duplicates, the outlet reported.
“It’s concerning anytime information that specific is released to the public,” Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims said, ABC30 reported. “Of course, what we tell the public all the time is to protect your personal information.”
Mims added the gun owners should ensure their homes are secure, as personal addresses were shared in the breach.
The state attorney general’s office said it is investigating the breach and plans to contact California’s CCW holders directly. Anyone who fears their data was compromised should fill out a form with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, the statement added.
A group of gun owners filed a suit challenging a bill passed in 2021 allowing their personal information to be shared with the California Firearm Violence Research Center at UC Davis. The information included their name, date of birth, address, phone number, physical description, occupation and in some cases Social Security number, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.