Firearms

As part of an undercover operation, DOJ Special Agents seized ghost guns and other firearms from man banned for life from possessing them

SAN BERNARDINO — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced the arrest of and charges filed against a San Bernardino man found in possession of illegal firearms and ammunition, despite being previously convicted of a felony and banned from owning firearms. The individual was on parole after serving a sentence of 32-years to life for a violent felony and is prohibited from owning and possessing firearms and ammunition. California Department of Justice Bureau of Firearms Special Agents observed the suspect purchasing an AR-15 style ghost gun kit at a San Bernardino gun show. After obtaining a search warrant, agents located the illegal weapons and ammunition at the suspect’s home.  

“Across California, we are working day in and day out to make our communities safer,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Whether it is a widespread APPS sweep, cross-referencing gun purchases in individual cases, or conducting undercover work, these strategies are critical to preventing gun violence in California. I am grateful for the efforts of our hard-working DOJ Special Agents whose work resulted in the charges we are announcing today.”

Agents recovered from the defendant’s possession an unserialized handgun, unserialized short-barreled rifle, ammunition, and an AR-15 style ghost gun kit. The defendant is charged with two felony counts of felon in possession of a firearm, one felony count of possession of a short-barreled rifle, and a felony count of unlawful possession of ammunition. Charges were filed in the San Bernardino Superior Court.

Protecting California communities and addressing gun violence remains one of Attorney General Bonta’s top priorities. In February 2022, Attorney General Bonta announced a five-day sweep with law enforcement partners targeting individuals in 51 cities in Los Angeles County listed as prohibited from possessing firearms in DOJ’s APPS database, and resulted in 13 arrests, as well as the seizure of 114 firearms, including assault weapons, ghost guns, lower receivers, handguns, rifles and shotguns, as well as 49,148 rounds of ammunition, and 87 high-capacity magazines. And in January 2022, APPS agents from throughout the state consolidated their investigative efforts in the Bay Area and worked with local and federal law enforcement to engage in a three-day sweep, resulting in the seizure of 30 firearms and eight arrests.

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 or possessing them. In general, prohibited persons in APPS include individuals who were convicted of a felony or a violent misdemeanor, were placed under a domestic violence or other restraining order, or suffer from serious mental illness. 

DOJ’s Bureau of Firearms (BOF) serves the people of California through education, regulation, and enforcement actions regarding the manufacture, sale, ownership, safety training, and transfer of firearms and ammunition. BOF staff are leaders in providing firearms expertise and information to law enforcement, legislators, and the general public in a comprehensive program to promote legitimate and responsible firearms possession and use by California residents. The Bureau of Firearms is looking to hire additional special agents and more information on assessments for relevant job openings can be found on the California Department of Justice website at oag.ca.gov/careers/exams.

A copy of the complaint can be found here. 

LOS ANGELES - Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today issued the following statement on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling in Peruta v. County of San Diego:

"The devastating impact gun violence has on our communities underscores the need for common sense gun safety laws. The court's decision is a victory for public safety and sensible gun safety laws.  The ruling ensures that local law enforcement leaders have the tools they need to protect public safety by determining who can carry loaded, concealed weapons in our communities."

The case was argued before the court by California’s Solicitor General, Edward DuMont.

LOS ANGELES – Attorney General Kamala D. Harris and the Attorneys General of 12 other states and the District of Columbia today sent a letter to the leaders of both houses of Congress, urging them to immediately direct funding to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to research causes and prevention of gun-related injuries and deaths.

“Gun violence terrorizes our communities and threatens our public safety,” said Attorney General Harris. “As Attorney General, I see the devastating impact of gun violence every day.  I urge Congress to lift the restriction on funding research into the causes of gun violence, which will promote public safety and save lives.”

The CDC distributes over $11 billion in research grants annually, but since 1996 Congress has restricted the use of any CDC funds to research gun violence prevention. While more than half a million Americans have died from gun violence over the past twenty years, federal funding for gun violence research has been cut by 96 percent.

The letter, also signed by the Attorneys General of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont , Virginia, and Washington calls on Congress to fund the CDC to research urgent questions about the root causes of gun violence and ways to most effectively intervene and prevent gun-related injuries and deaths, such as gun safety improvements or counseling by healthcare providers.

The Attorneys General wrote in the letter that more than 33,000 people die every year in the United States from gun violence and unintentional shootings account for an additional 600 deaths annually. Gun violence also disproportionately affects communities of color, as African Americans are nearly twice as likely to be injured or killed by guns as white individuals. 

Attorney General Harris has prioritized implementing effective gun safety measures in California. This year, she called for California to strengthen its research efforts around gun violence prevention, supporting SB 1006, authored by Senator Lois Wolk, to urge the University of California Regents to establish a California Firearm Violence Research Center.

Since November 2013, Attorney General Harris has brought the number of individuals in the Armed Prohibited Persons System (APPS) database to a historic low of under 11,000, the lowest level since 2008—effectively removing nearly 25,000 individuals who are prohibited from owning a firearm due to their criminal history, mental health status, or existence of a restraining order.

In 2013, Attorney General Harris also convened a Leadership Group of California’s district attorneys to collaboratively develop recommendations to reduce gun violence through enforcement of existing laws and prevention efforts.

The letter is attached to the online version of this news release at oag.ca.gov/news.

SACRAMENTO – Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today released the following statement, as leaders in the California State Assembly unveiled a package of bills aimed at reducing gun violence. 

“An epidemic of gun violence has cost too many Californians their lives and jeopardized public safety for too long.  As California's chief law enforcement officer, I see the urgent need to pass sensible gun safety legislation that aims to keep our streets and communities safe.  This is why I am working with members of our legislature to pursue these common sense policies.”

In January, Attorney General Harris and Assemblymember David Chiu (D-SF) announced AB 1663, legislation to close the “bullet button” loophole, which allows gun owners to quickly convert a rifle into a semi-automatic assault weapon.  This bill would expand the classification of assault weapons to include semi-automatic center fire rifles, which are capable of accepting detachable magazines. 

Attorney General Harris has made the implementation of effective gun safety measures a priority.  Since November 2013, Attorney General Harris has brought the number of individuals in the Armed Prohibited Persons System (APPS) database to a historic low of under 11,000, the lowest level since 2008—effectively removing nearly 25,000 prohibited individuals.  Over the last three years, the California Department of Justice has also doubled the average number of guns seized annually and increased the number of investigations per month by nearly 300 percent.

In 2011, Attorney General Harris sponsored SB 819 (Leno) to allow the Department of Justice to use existing regulatory fees collected by gun dealers (“DROS fees”) for purposes of regulatory and enforcement activities related to firearms, including management of APPS.  This went into effect January 2012.  In 2013, Attorney General Harris sponsored SB 140 (Leno) to appropriate $24 million in funding from the DROS Account to help support the APPS program; this urgency legislation went into effect immediately in May 2013.

In 2013, Attorney General Harris also convened a Leadership Group of California’s district attorneys to collaboratively develop recommendations to reduce gun violence through enforcement of existing laws and prevention efforts.

SANTA BARBARA - Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced that the California Department of Justice and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department have completed a two-day sweep to remove firearms from individuals legally barred from possessing them, including persons determined to be mentally unstable and those with active restraining orders against them. The joint operation resulted in the seizure of 83 firearms, 6,326 rounds of ammunition, 52 ammunition magazines and 10 arrests, targeting individuals on the Armed Prohibited Persons System (APPS). The seized firearms included three assault weapons.

This operation, as well as ongoing and day-to-day investigations, reduced the number of individuals in APPS to a historic low. During the past 30 months, the Bureau of Firearms has conducted over 18,608 APPS cases, and has taken 335 assault weapons, 4,549 handguns, 4,848 long-guns, and 43,246 rounds of ammunition off the streets from those who illegally possessed them.

As of February 11, 2016, the number of subjects on the APPS list is 12,334, the lowest it’s been since August 2008.

“Removing firearms from dangerous and violent individuals makes our communities safer,” said Attorney General Harris. “I thank our Department of Justice Bureau of Firearms Special Agents and the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department for taking on this dangerous work and their steadfast commitment to keeping our streets safe.”

"I thank the Attorney General’s Office for providing the resources to help confiscate illegally-possessed firearms in Santa Barbara County. Good people can and do differ in their viewpoints on how guns should be controlled, but I think we can all agree that firearms should not be in the hands of felons, violent offenders or persons suffering from severe mental illness. Removing weapons from those on the Armed and Prohibited Persons list targets law breakers and makes our community a safer place," said Santa Barbara Sheriff Bill Brown. 

“I commend Attorney General Kamala Harris, the Department of Justice and the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department for their tremendous efforts getting guns and ammunition out of the hands of people who shouldn’t have them in the first place,” said Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara). “Unfortunately, we are a community that knows too painfully well about the costs and devastation of gun violence. These efforts help prevent potential tragedies while showing that the APPs system is a powerful tool for law enforcement to use to keep our communities safe.”

“I want to highlight the work of the California Department of Justice’s Office of the Attorney General, as well as the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department, who worked together tirelessly to ensure that this illegal firearm sweep was a success. The primary goal of these sweeps is compliance, and getting guns out of the hands of prohibited individuals means safer communities and less illegal firearms throughout the County. By acting with professionalism and excellent coordination, over 80 firearms and 6000 rounds of ammunition were successfully seized with a minimal number of arrests. Locating and seizing illegal firearms is dangerous and demanding work, so on behalf of Santa Barbara County I thank all those who were involved," said Assemblymember Das Williams.

The APPS sweep, which began on February 9, was completed over two days and closed 79 cases.

Thanks to the dedication of our special agents and local law enforcement, the California Department of Justice has doubled the average number of guns seized per year and increased the number of investigations per month by nearly 300% over the past two years.

In November 2015, the California Department of Justice and the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department conducted a joint APPS operation, resulting in 150 investigations and the seizure of 82 firearms, and 10 arrests.

In May of last year, an APPS collaboration between L.A. County local law enforcement and California Department of Justice Special Agents resulted in the arrest of 26 individuals, the seizure of 254 firearms, 48,000 rounds of ammunition, and 18 illegal high capacity magazines.

The APPS database was completed in November 2006, and instantly created a backlog of thousands of investigations. APPS identifies individuals who purchased firearms, but later became prohibited from legally owning them because they were convicted of a felony or a violent misdemeanor, placed under a domestic violence restraining order, or suffer from serious mental illness.

California is the first and only state in the nation to establish an automated system for tracking handgun and assault weapon owners who might fall into a prohibited status.

In 2011, Attorney General Harris sponsored SB 819 (Leno) to allow the Department of Justice to use existing regulatory fees collected by gun dealers (“DROS fees”) for purposes of regulatory and enforcement activities related to firearms, including management of APPS.  This went into effect January 2012.  In 2013, Attorney General Harris sponsored SB 140 (Leno) to appropriate $24 million in funding from the DROS Account to help support the APPS program; this urgency legislation went into effect immediately in May 2013. In 2015, Attorney General Harris submitted a letter urging the legislature to make funding to the APPS program permanent.

SAN FRANCISCO - Today, Attorney General Kamala D. Harris and Assemblymember David Chiu announced legislation to close the “bullet button” loophole.  This loophole enables a firearm owner to use a bullet or other pointed object to quickly detach and replace a weapon’s ammunition magazine, converting a rifle into a semi-automatic assault weapon.  An individual can switch magazines on a gun with a bullet button within seconds.  This bill would expand the classification of assault weapons to include semi-automatic center fire rifles, which are capable of accepting detachable magazines.  

“The devastation wrought by gun violence on innocent victims, children and families in this country is an international embarrassment,” said Attorney General Harris. “This is a common sense solution that closes a dangerous loophole in California’s assault weapons ban.  We simply must do everything we can to keep dangerous, high capacity firearms off of our streets and out of our communities.”  

Assembly Bill 1663 will broaden the classification of restricted firearms to include dangerous assault weapons that are currently easy to purchase and manufacture.  In 1989, passage of the Roberti-Roos Assault Weapons Control Act (the AWCA) made it a felony to manufacture any of the assault weapons listed in the statute.  In 1999, the Legislature expanded the AWCA to include more technologically advanced semiautomatic weapons, including firearms with a “fixed magazine” and/or firearms with “the capacity to accept a detachable magazine.”  Under current law, manufacturers have been able to create firearms with detachable magazines that evade classification as assault weapons that are prohibited from being possessed, sold, transferred or imported into the state without a permit.  “Bullet buttons” require the tip of a bullet or tool to release a magazine and insert a new one.  Because a device is needed to eject the magazine, bullet button firearms are not restricted under the AWCA statute.

“We must close the loopholes in our assault weapons ban so that guns like the ones used in San Bernardino, Newtown, and Aurora cannot be bought legally in our state,” said Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco), who first worked on gun legislation as a United States Senate aide in the mid-1990s.  “Detachable magazines cost lives, and it is more important to save lives during future mass shootings than to be able to reload assault weapons in the blink of an eye.  I appreciate the sponsorship by Attorney General Harris and look forward to working this year with my colleagues and the Governor’s office on this and other efforts to prevent gun violence.”

Attorney General Harris has made the implementation of effective gun safety measures a priority.  Since November 2013, Attorney General Harris has brought the number of individuals in the Armed Prohibited Persons System (APPS) database to a historic low of 12,691—effectively removing 20,573 prohibited individuals.  Over the last two years, the California Department of Justice has also doubled the average number of guns seized annually and increased the number of investigations per month by nearly 300 percent.

In 2011, Attorney General Harris sponsored SB 819 (Leno) to allow the Department of Justice to use existing regulatory fees collected by gun dealers (“DROS fees”) for purposes of regulatory and enforcement activities related to firearms, including management of APPS.  This went into effect January 2012.  In 2013, Attorney General Harris sponsored SB 140 (Leno) to appropriate $24 million in funding from the DROS Account to help support the APPS program; this urgency legislation went into effect immediately in May 2013.

In 2013, Attorney General Harris convened a Leadership Group of California’s district attorneys to collaboratively develop recommendations to reduce gun violence through enforcement of existing laws and prevention efforts.

Earlier this month, Attorney General Harris issued a statement in support of President Obama’s executive actions to reduce gun violence through enhanced background checks, increased mental heath treatment and improved gun safety technology.

LOS ANGELES - Attorney General Kamala D. Harris issued the following statement on President Barack Obama’s new executive actions to reduce gun violence:

“Gun violence has a devastating impact on our communities and there is a severe need for common sense gun safety laws. The President has rightfully used executive action to reduce gun violence through enhanced background checks, increased mental health treatment and reporting, and improved gun safety technology. It is a false choice to think we have to accept mass shootings as the norm in the United States, it's now time for Congress to act.”

FRESNO - Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced that California Department of Justice Bureau of Firearms Special Agents have removed more than 500 firearms from a single individual that is legally barred from owning them and is in the Armed Prohibited Persons System (APPS) database.  Through this operation, agents seized 209 handguns, 88 shotguns, 234 rifles, 181 standard capacity magazines, 10 high capacity magazines, 100,521 rounds of various ammunition, and 10 assault weapons including a .50 caliber bolt action rifle. The individual, from Clovis, is on the APPS database due to a prior mental health hold, which prohibits an individual from possessing firearms. The individual was arrested for illegally possessing the firearms. 

This operation, as well as ongoing and day-to-day investigations have reduced the number of individuals in APPS to a historic low.  Since November 2013, Attorney General Harris has brought the number of individuals in the registry down by nearly half.  Over the last two years, the California Department of Justice has doubled the average number of guns seized annually and increased the number of investigations per month by nearly 300%, allowing special agents to conduct 17,465 investigations as of October 30, 2015. 

“Removing firearms from dangerous and violent individuals who pose a threat to themselves and the public is a top priority for the California Department of Justice,” said Attorney General Harris.  “I thank our Bureau of Firearms Special Agents for their bravery in carrying out these dangerous investigations and their commitment to keeping our communities safe.”

In October, California Department of Justice Special Agents and the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department conducted an APPS operation that resulted in the seizure of 82 firearms and 10 arrests.  In May, California Department of Justice Special Agents and local law enforcement partners in Los Angeles County conducted a similar successful operation that resulted in the seizure of 254 firearms, 48,000 rounds of ammunition, and 18 illegal high capacity magazines, as well as the arrest of 26 individuals.

In 2011, Attorney General Harris sponsored SB 819 (Leno) to allow the Department of Justice to use existing regulatory fees collected by gun dealers (“DROS fees”) for purposes of regulatory and enforcement activities related to firearms, including management of APPS.  This went into effect January 2012.  In 2013, Attorney General Harris sponsored SB 140 (Leno) to appropriate $24 million in funding from the DROS Account to help support the APPS program; this urgency legislation went into effect immediately in May 2013.

APPS works to identify individuals who previously procured firearms, but later became barred from legally owning them because they were convicted of a felony or a violent misdemeanor, placed under a domestic violence restraining order, or suffer from serious mental illness.  California is the first and only state in the U.S. to establish an automated system for tracking handgun and assault weapon owners who might fall into a prohibited status.

SACRAMENTO - Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced that the California Department of Justice and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department have completed a multi-day operation to remove firearms from individuals legally barred from possessing them, including persons determined to be mentally unstable and those with active restraining orders against them. The joint operation resulted in 150 investigations and the seizure of 82 firearms and 10 arrests, targeting individuals on the Armed Prohibited Persons System (APPS).

This operation, as well as ongoing and day-to-day investigations, reduced the number of individuals in APPS to a historic low. As of November 4, 2015, the number of individuals on the APPS list is 13,918, the lowest it’s been since January 2009.

“Removing firearms from dangerous and violent individuals who pose a threat to themselves and the public is a top priority for the California Department of Justice,” said Attorney General Harris. “I thank our Department of Justice Bureau of Firearms Special Agents and the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department for their bravery in carrying out these dangerous investigations and their commitment to keeping our communities safe.”

The three-day operation, conducted the week of October 26, included 27 California Department of Justice Special Agents and 20 Sacramento County Sheriff’s Deputies.

Over the last two years, the California Department of Justice has doubled the average number of guns seized per year and increased the number of investigations per month by nearly 300%, enabling special agents to conduct 17,465 investigations as of October 30, 2015.

In May, California Department of Justice Special Agents and Los Angeles County local law enforcement partners conducted an APPS operation that resulted in the seizure of 254 firearms, 48,000 rounds of ammunition, and 18 illegal high capacity magazines. The L.A. County operation also resulted in the arrest of 26 individuals.

APPS works to identify individuals who previously purchased firearms, but later became prohibited from legally owning them because they were convicted of a felony or a violent misdemeanor, placed under a domestic violence restraining order, or suffer from serious mental illness. The database was completed in November 2006, and instantly created a queue of thousands of investigations.

In 2011, Attorney General Harris sponsored SB 819 (Leno) to allow the Department of Justice to use existing regulatory fees collected by gun dealers (“DROS fees”) for purposes of regulatory and enforcement activities related to firearms, including management of APPS.  This went into effect January 2012.  In 2013, Attorney General Harris sponsored SB 140 (Leno) to appropriate $24 million in funding from the DROS Account to help support the APPS program; this urgency legislation went into effect immediately in May 2013.

California is the first and only state in the nation to establish an automated system for tracking handgun and assault weapon owners who might fall into a prohibited status.

Attorney General Harris today issued the following statement on the passing of James Brady:

“Today, our nation lost a true hero in James Brady. His tireless advocacy on behalf of reasonable gun safety laws has made our communities safer by keeping firearms out of the wrong hands. James’ bravery, determination and service to his country will live on through The Brady Act and the work of all those who continue the fight to reduce gun violence. 

I extend my most sincere condolences to his family, friends and all of his loved ones.”