OAKLAND – On January 31, 2022, the California Attorney General’s Office announced the results a California Department of Justice (DOJ) three-day sweep in the San Francisco Bay Area to remove firearms from individuals legally barred from possessing them. The sweep which began January 11th targeted individuals listed as prohibited from possessing firearms in DOJ’s Armed and Prohibited Persons System (APPS), and resulted in the seizure of 30 firearms and eight arrests.
“Just the very nature of these sweeps means the special agents and officers are in harm’s way, however the sweeps are necessary to reduce potential violence and loss of life,” said California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) President Alan Barcelona. “Removing 30 firearms in three days, from those who, by law, should not be in possession of them is a job well done. I am grateful no one was hurt.”
The California Department of Justice operation was a joint effort with the:
- San Francisco District Attorney’s Office,
- Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office,
- California Highway Patrol,
- Contra Costa County Probation Department,
- California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation - Division of Adult Parole Operations,
- and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
“I’m thankful to the dedicated DOJ special agents and local law enforcement who partnered on our latest APPS sweep in the Bay Area,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “Removing firearms from those who are no longer legally allowed to possess them is a critical part of our work to reduce and prevent gun violence.”
In 2006, the State of California became the first and only state in the nation to establish a system for tracking firearm owners who fall into a prohibited status.
The APPS database works to identify individuals who lawfully procured firearms and later became prohibited from owning them. In general, prohibited persons in APPS include individuals who were convicted of a felony or violent misdemeanor, were placed under a domestic violence or other restraining order, or suffer from serious mental illness.
