Firearms Recovery Operation Held In Santa Cruz County

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA — Santa Cruz County law enforcement agencies teamed up with agents from the California Department of Justice Bureau of Firearms for a two-day operation on Tuesday and Wednesday to recover guns owned by individuals who are prohibited from possessing them, according to the Santa Cruz County Law Enforcement Chief's Association.

The operation was scheduled as a compliance measure for the county and was not in response to any specific threat, the association said in a memo. Investigators found most residents complied with firearms laws in
Santa Cruz County, as law enforcement only had to seize one semi-automatic handgun and arrest an individual who was not allowed to possess the firearm because of a domestic violence restraining order, the association reported.

Officers from the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office, Santa Cruz police and Watsonville police worked with Department of Justice special agents to check 47 addresses and investigate and close 31 cases. The association would like to remind the public that ownership or possession of a firearm by a person who is prohibited from such ownership is a criminal violation.

There is a state database that cross-references firearms owners across the state against criminal history records, mental health records and restraining orders to identify those individuals who are prohibited from possessing guns called the Armed and Prohibited Persons System. The agencies that worked together in this effort did rely on APPS records for information leading to their compliance checks.

By Bay City News

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