California Assembly Bill 173 mandates the state’s Department of Justice to disclose personal information of millions of gun owners in its various databases to the California Firearm Violence Research Center at UC Davis for purposes other than law enforcement. Subject to disclosure are personal identifying information such as home addresses, phone numbers, driver’s license information, along with a comprehensive firearm and ammunition purchase and transfer history. The law also permits the California DOJ to share this information with other accredited research institutions, which would grant access to Californians’ private information to unknown individuals for purposes unrelated to law enforcement.
On January 28, 2022, the Second Amendment Foundation filed suit, along with an individual, and five other civil rights organizations alleging AB 173 violates the California Constitution’s Right to Privacy, California’s Constitutional Rules surrounding the amendment of voter initiatives, and the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. The lawsuit asks the Court to declare the information sharing requirements of AB 173 unconstitutional under both the California and United States Constitutions, and enjoin the Defendants from enforcing them.
To view documents filed on appeal, please visit the Court of Appeals docket.
Case Team: Bradley Benbrook, Steve Duvernay
