Gun Group Built Secret Voter Database Using Warranty Cards, Lawsuit Alleges

Case Overview: A class action lawsuit claims the National Shooting Sports Foundation secretly collected and shared firearm buyers’ personal data from warranty cards and retailer databases to support political campaigns.

Consumers Affected: U.S. gun owners whose personal data was allegedly obtained or used by the NSSF since 1990.

Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut

The National Shooting Sports Foundation, a trade association representing the firearms industry, secretly collects and exploits gun buyers’ personal information for political purposes, a new lawsuit alleges. 

The lawsuit claims the group built a vast database of firearm purchasers using data from warranty cards, forms typically submitted to manufacturers for rebates or repairs, and used it to target individuals with political messages without their knowledge or consent.

According to the complaint, the organization that publicly champions gun owners’ privacy rights was quietly building a database containing names, addresses, income levels, household makeup, and even hobbies of millions of lawful gun owners. 

That information, the lawsuit alleges, was leveraged in political campaigns stretching back decades, including data-sharing with Cambridge Analytica during the 2016 election cycle.

Warranty Cards Allegedly Fed Into Massive Political Database

The plaintiffs, Daniel Cocanour of Oklahoma and Dale Rimkus of Illinois, are both lifelong firearm owners who say they filled out and returned warranty cards believing they were for product registration or service, not to be shared with third parties. 

Cocanour purchased firearms for hunting and self-protection over several decades, while Rimkus began buying shotguns and rifles in the 1980s for hunting and later added handguns for sport shooting, the lawsuit says. Both men say they routinely mailed in warranty cards, unaware their data would be funneled to a political database.

Plaintiffs Claim Data Was Shared With Political Consultants and Campaigns

Warranty cards, the lawsuit explains, are designed to collect much more than contact details. They often ask about income, vehicle ownership, family structure, and lifestyle preferences, information the NSSF allegedly encouraged manufacturers to share. 

The two men claim these details were combined with voter rolls, hunting license data, and information from retailers like Cabela’s to create a massive consumer database. By 2001, the so-called “consumer master database” reportedly contained 3.4 million records, which the group used to target voters in campaigns branded “Vote Your Sport” and later “GunVote.” 

The complaint also points out that, despite the NSSF’s public advocacy for firearm owners’ privacy, its own practices contradict that stance.

Lawsuit Adds to Growing Wave of Data Misuse Claims Across Industries

As the value of data increases, so too do lawsuits accusing companies of misusing it. This case joins a growing wave of lawsuits accusing companies of quietly collecting and monetizing user data. Google was recently ordered to pay more than $425 million after a jury found it unlawfully tracked nearly 98 million users who believed they had opted out of activity monitoring. 

Ticketing platform SeatGeek has been accused of secretly tracking visitors and sharing their data with TikTok and Meta. Fitness company WHOOP, hotel chains, and even adoption agencies have all faced similar claims over hidden data collection.

Cocanour and Rimkus are seeking to represent anyone in the United States whose personal data was allegedly obtained by the NSSF from gun manufacturers or retailers since 1990. They’re suing for unjust enrichment, asking the court to make the organization return any profits made from the unauthorized use of gun owners’ private data.

Case Details

• Lawsuit: Cocanour, et al. v. National Shooting Sports Foundation, Inc. 
• Case Number: 3:25-cv-01571
• Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut 

Plaintiffs' Attorneys

• Riley Breakell (Motley Rice LLC)
• Benjamin Gould and Nicandro Iannacci (Keller Rohrback L.L.P.)

Have you ever filled out a gun warranty or rebate form? Were you aware that information might be shared? Tell us what you think below.