Hundreds of Thousands of Indiana Gun Buyers’ Private Info at Risk of Disclosure

Hundreds of thousands of Indiana gun buyers’ private information–including gun purchase records–is at risk of being disclosed.

National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) general counsel and senior vice president Larry Keane used a December 16, 2023, X post to sound the alarm on the risk of public disclosure:

Personal Information of (100s of) Thousands of Indiana Gun Owners at Risk for Public Disclosure – https://t.co/OMCQN4wbki via @Ammoland @NSSF @NRAILA @GunOwners

— Larry Keane (@lkeane) December 16, 2023

Gun Owners of America’s Aidan Johnson also addressed the issue on X, noting that a lawsuit resulted in Acquisition and Distribution (A&D) books from an Indiana Cabela’s being turned over to the government. He pointed out that A&D books from an Indiana Bass Pro Shop could soon be turned over as well.

Writing on Ammoland, Lee Williams pointed out that “the potential publication of personal information of hundreds of thousands of law-abiding gun owners is eerily similar to an interactive map of pistol permit holders that Gannett’s Journal News of Westchester County, New York published in 2012.”

Williams observed:

The response to the [Journal News‘s] map was vicious and loud. Outraged gun owners pushed for the publication of the addresses of the journalists responsible for the travesty. The danger, many claimed, was that the newspaper created a handy tool for burglars seeking to break into homes and steal firearms. The same concerns apply to Indiana’s gun owners.

On December 18, 2023, NSSF’s Keane indicated that NSSF is working to get legislation in Indiana to stop the A&D book acquisitions.