Special agents from the California Department of Justice (DOJ) teamed up with the Redlands Police Department last week and took 13 firearms from 11 people who, by law, cannot be in possession of them.
Those 11 people are listed in the state's Armed Prohibited Persons System (APPS) database. That database lists people who previously purchased guns but have since been convicted of a felony, a violent misdemeanor, domestic violence or deemed mentally unstable.
There are currently 33 special agents in the DOJ Bureau of Firearms who scour the state for firearms that are in the hands of those who are not suppose to have them. With more than 20,000 people in the database believed to be in possession of more than 39,000 firearms, these special agents need additional help.
Just yesterday, May 1, 2013, Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 140 which gives $24 million dollars to the Attorney General to hire 36 additional special agents to join the fight to get illegally possessed firearms off the street. That money comes from a surplus in an account funded by fees paid by gun owners when they purchase firearms.
"No one wants firearms in the hands of someone deemed dangerous," said Alan Barcelona, president of the California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA). CSLEA represents 7,000 law enforcement, public safety and consumer protection professionals who work the for the state of California, including DOJ special agents. "Special agents in the Bureau of Firearms have the dangerous job of contacting these individuals listed in the APPS database and removing firearms from their homes. It's intense, life-saving work and thanks to SB140, they will get immediate help."
