Appeals Court Strikes Blow to Gun Owner Privacy Rights in Ruling Accommodating ‘Violence Researchers’
A California appeals court ruled Friday that the state may continue sharing the personal information of gun owners with “gun violence” researchers.
California’s Department of Justice had been permitted to share “identifying information of more than 4 million gun owners” collected by the state during the background check process for firearms purchases with “qualified research institutions,” ostensibly to aid in the study of gun-related accidents, suicides and violence.
The information sharing was authorized by new law, Assembly Bill 173, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2021, according to The Associated Press.
By George C. Upper III