“It takes a team of DOJ special agents and support staff to make APPS effective in removing firearms from those prohibited by law from possessing them. This program operates with public safety in mind and Californians are safer because of it.”
CSLEA President Alan Barcelona
SACRAMENTO– On March 13, 2026, the California Attorney General announced the release of the 2025 Armed and Prohibited Persons System (APPS) annual report. Established in 2006 as the first system of its kind in the nation, the APPS database identifies individuals who legally acquired firearms, became prohibited from keeping them, and then failed to relinquish those firearms. Under California and federal law, individuals may be prohibited from owning and possessing firearms due to a number of circumstances — such as:
- felony convictions,
- violent misdemeanor convictions,
- restraining orders,
- or through a determination that a person is a danger to themselves or others as a result of severe mental illness.
Pursuant to its goal of increasing public and survivor safety, the APPS program in 2025 aided the California Department of Justice (DOJ) in seizing 1,437 firearms from illegally armed individuals.
“In my role as the state’s chief law enforcement officer, I remain steadfastly committed to combating gun violence and safeguarding public safety for all Californians. Sensible firearms regulation and enforcement save lives, and I applaud the continued dedication of our special agents and professional staff in supporting these vital efforts,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “Since the inception of the APPS program in 2006, our special agents have taken tens of thousands of illegal firearms off the streets of California. My office will continue to support these efforts to curb gun violence and keep firearms out of the wrong hands.”
DOJ’s Bureau of Firearms (BOF) oversees the APPS program and field operations. The 2025 APPS Report provides an extensive summary of APPS-related work over the previous year, a categorized breakdown of the reasons for newly prohibited individuals, and the number of agents and staff members hired for APPS enforcement.
2025 APPS Report by the numbers:
- DOJ investigated and closed 8,667 cases
- DOJ special agents made 26,000 contacts with individuals, an increase of 500 contacts over last year’s record
- DOJ recovered 1,437 firearms
- DOJ seized 10 ghost guns
- DOJ special agents retrieved 465 large-capacity magazines, 2,169 standard-capacity magazines, and 366,482 rounds of ammunition
- 10,746 prohibited people were removed from the APPS list
2025 APPS Operations
In partnership with local law enforcement agencies, DOJ engages in APPS field operations that occur over multiple days within a specific area. Notable examples during 2025 include:
VENTURA COUNTY: In April 2025, DOJ conducted a probation search at the residence of an individual prohibited from possessing firearms due to a prior misdemeanor conviction for carrying a loaded firearm. As a result of the search, agents located and seized 11 assault weapons, 11 rifles, 15 pistols, one AK-47 style lower receiver, approximately 15,000 rounds of ammunition, and 64 magazines.
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY: In June 2025, BOF identified a man prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition due to a mental health adjudication. After being granted a search warrant for the prohibited individual’s residence, agents located and seized nine rifles, two shotguns, one assault weapon, 10 pistols, and approximately 65,435 rounds of ammunition.
Here is a copy of the report.
