The Firearms Relinquishment Project

About the Program

Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety (Best in Category)

Year: 2018

Major gaps existed with PC29810 and CCP527.9, created by California lawmakers to address mass shootings. No requirements existed for police to identify who had outstanding guns/ammunition to be relinquished. Persons, ordered to relinquish, were not notified how to safely do so. Also, no procedures existed for prosecutors on this issue. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s (LADA) Firearms Relinquishment Project (FRP) implements standardized procedures, interagency agreements, and training to fill those gaps. By focusing on PC136.2 criminal protective orders, the project gives domestic violence offenses priority (which research has connected to the majority of mass shooters) and allows law enforcement to focus manpower. FRP has ensured that persons who are arrested by Long Beach Police or Signal Hill Police departments, are subject to written criminal protective orders, and have access to guns safely ceased to have that access. In the short time that FRP has operated, FRP identified 23 defendants with outstanding guns/ammunition and notified them how to safely relinquish their guns/ammunition. In addition, FRP has obtained from those defendants prior to conviction: 13 handguns, 1 shotgun, 3 rifles, 2 assault weapons, 24 magazines, and 3,826 rounds of ammunition. LADA is now expanding FRP to other police agencies.