The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit allowed California to share personal information about gun owners with gun violence researchers, affirming a judge's ruling that the law doesn’t violate privacy rights nor the Second Amendment. “Permitting gun owners’ information to be shared under strict privacy protection protocols for legitimate research purposes does not restrict conduct covered by the plain text of the Second Amendment,” said Senior U.S. Circuit Judge Mary Schroeder, reports Courthouse News Service. Under a bill signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2021, the state must share gun owners' personal data and purchasing records with researchers at the University of California Davis who study gun violence prevention, shooting accidents and suicides. The state attorney general can share information with other research institutions, too.
“Enabling rigorous empirical research is crucial as we strive to combat the scourge of gun violence within our state,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “The Ninth Circuit’s decision marks a significant victory in our endeavor to curb gun violence in California." Five anonymous California gun owners sued the state, saying the law irreparably harmed their Second Amendment rights and their privacy rights under the Fourteenth Amendment. Last year, U.S. District Judge Larry Burns rejected their argument. The Ninth Circuit said the biographical information that the California Department of Justice is required to collect and share with law enforcement — address, place of birth, telephone number, occupation, sex and any legal aliases, as well as concealed carry status — is not intimate enough to fall under privacy protections. A
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