Attorney General Xavier Becerra claims that Operation Dual Force is a success. (Photo: ABC 30)
Confiscation squads performing under the auspices of Operation Dual Force have been a success, say California authorities.
“This operation is a prime example of how law enforcement comes together to fight crime and keep our neighborhoods safe by removing illegally-possessed guns from our communities,” said Attorney General Xavier Becerra said in a Tuesday press release.
“Thanks to the partnership with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, we can now hold these individuals accountable,” he added. “We will continue this successful collaboration to keep guns away from people who are prohibited from owning them.”
Launched in June of 2018, Operation Dual Force is a joint probe between the California Department of Justice (CA DOJ) and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) that seeks to disarm prohibited persons in LA County.
Using the state’s Armed Prohibited Persons System (APPS) database, investigators are able to track down felons, domestic abusers and mental defectives to seize any firearms in their possession, specifically those that they may have purchased via an FFL prior to their conviction. State authorities wouldn’t have purchase records for black-market guns scored on the streets, aka the firearms most frequently used in crimes. See graph below.
A graph from the Washington Post citing a Pittsburgh study that found in 8 out of 10 cases involving gun crimes, “the perpetrator was not a lawful gun owner but rather in illegal possession of a weapon that belonged to someone else.” (Photo: Washington Post)
The APPS database cross-references gun owner registration information with criminal and mental health records. APPS contains about 10,000 names with 60 to 100 more being added each day, according to ABC 30.
Operation Dual Force has closed 277 APPS cases, 35 of which resulted in arrests, say authorities.
“The partnership between the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the California State Attorney General will more effectively fight gun violence by preventing unqualified people from obtaining weapons,” said Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell.
In total, law enforcement has seized 111 firearms (7 “assault weapons, 56 handguns, 21 shotguns, 24 rifles and three lower receivers), 27,647 rounds of ammunition, 50 “high-capacity” magazines and 106 standard-capacity magazines.
SEE ALSO: Justice Prevails: California DOJ Forced to Return 500+ Guns to FFL Dealer
Operation Dual Force will run through the end of the year. The agent in charge indicated that confiscating firearms is tough sledding.
“It sounds like you can run out and grab somebody’s gun and knock on the door and everything’s fine and it’s never like that. It is slow and tedious work but we are making good progress,” said Special Agent Supervisor Samuel Richardson at a recent press conference.
The agency said that over the last five years it has confiscated more than 18,000 firearms statewide. Funding for the APPS system got a big boost in 2014 when Gov. Jerry Brown signed SB 140 into law, which appropriated $24 million for the program.
As part of SB 140, California Gov. Jerry Brown appropriated $24 million for the APPS program. SB 140 was signed into law in 2014 and the funding rolled out in 2015. (Photo: CA DOJ)
While officials continue to praise APPS, there have been some major bumps along the way. Including the case of Albert Sheakalee, an FFL dealer who was arrested in 2015 because of an alleged “prior mental health hold.” The CA DOJ confiscated more than 500 firearms from his Fresno store. The sting was highly publicized by then-Attorney General Kamala Harris, who incidentally was bidding for a seat on the U.S. Senate.
But after seizing his property the state never filed charges. Sheakalee, it turned out, had no criminal record, legally owned all his firearms, owned a retirement home, and was the retired budget director of Fresno Community Hospital.
Sheakalee had to go to court to force the state to return his firearms. Eventually, he succeeded in 2017 and all of his property, including, 209 handguns, 88 shotguns, 234 rifles, 100,000 rounds of ammunition and 10 guns designated assault weapons under California law, including a .50 caliber bolt-action rifle, was given back.
As for Kamala Harris, we know how that ended. She beat out Loretta Sanchez in the 2016 election to succeed outgoing Sen. Barbara Boxer.
Do you think it’s finally time to start voting out all of these Commie Demo-Craps yet? These Criminals are no better then the people they say they are protecting us from if they had their way they would BURN our Constitution and make us live by their rules if you think they have passed all these Anti-Gun rules to protect us your wrong, they passed them to protect themselves from us and to make it easier for them to control us. Our forefathers gave us the Bill of Rights so we can protect ourselves from the overreaching, power-hungry, and controlling DEMO-CRAPS period the second amendment has nothing to do with Hunting, it has to do with protection from both Criminals, and Anti-Constitutional Politicians that want to control everything you do.
Just from SB140 (not including other financing) that comes out to 1,333.00 per firearm.
Why do I get the feeling that these are nothing more than guns from the confiscated from stings. You think a couple shotguns, a classic M16, and scary out the box, new looking AK is successful then…
Remember when the USA, including Ca., was called,
Land of the free, home of the brave?
Must of been nice…..
Oh my God, I feel so much safer now that we have 111 less firearms out there in the hands of unqualified individuals. I strongly believe they nailed this one. I am going to return my carry license and sell my gun, crime is no more thanks to these genius law inforcement agents. THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART. must be nice to have all this time and money to blow on such an unfruitful endevor.
What is a standard size Mag? Sounds vague to me.
Not really.
A standard magazine for an AR-15 is 30rds, an AK-47 is again 30rds, a Glock 17 is 17rds.
Hope that helps.
Keep in mind those are standard sizes, as in the ones that the guns were designed with. They are not the neutered liberal creations dreamed up by freedom despising individuals.
Let’s get the definitions right shall we? There is no such thing as a “high capacity magazine.” There are standard capacity magazines and crippled capacity magazines. Crippled capacity magazines hold ten rounds or less.
Progressives invented the name of high capacity magazines in order to confiscate all magazines that hold more than ten rounds. But if they ever succeed in making all eleven round and larger magazine capacity magazines illegal for private citizens they will eventually outlaw the ten round magazines and all semi automatic firearms for the common citizens.
Take the example of Maryland. They passed laws earlier outlawing firearm magazines that held over twenty rounds. Then years later they passed more laws outlawing magazines that held over ten rounds. Now Maryland is in process of passing even more firearm restrictions on their common citizens. Do not be fooled. This is about eventual firearm confiscation.
Can I buy the FN Para? Always wanted one….
Here in New Zealand we have gun owner licensing, testing and storage checking, but not registration. It was always going to be too much hard work. Our Police gun license checkers are mostly retired Police who know what they are doing and can spot a lunatic or a crook a mile off. So the Police know the gun owners, gun collectors (separate license) and MSSA (military style semi automatic rifle owners) (separate license again). And they have good intel on all the gang memberships and criminals. We also have no legal access to handguns other than strict club membership and range use only. As a result we have very, very little gun crime, maybe two or three incidents nationwide a week. A typical example is two drug dealers who waved a rifle at police, and were arrested the next day with no shots being fired. Most Police are unarmed most of the time. Our gun shops do well with little bad publicity, though there are a few nutters who want to take all our guns away. Nobody listens to them, and they have no political traction. This is a very different situation from America, but if one decided to move here, this is the way things are around here.
Well, Marty, a couple things: a couple decades back, California was like that, too, except there was no gun restriction other than a full-auto or explosives.
But no one is trying to break into Kiwiland! You don’t have Mexico or Central & South America on your border, with millions of people lined up, trying to flee their 3rd world homes.
One day, I’d lay money that Australia will become sick from the mooslim invasion, and the remaining inhabitants will realize they are about to lose their way of life. They will either flee to other places (like NZ) or rise up and throw the interlopers out, whereupon the next sensible location for interlopers to lite is New Zealand.
Then, you will be New Kalifornia!!
You should’ve kept your mouth shut! Now they know where to move!! Good luck, sincerely… 😢
After 2 years, I’m astonished this gentleman actually had his rightful property returned.
But, the new law was supposed to do that Without having to sue.
Also, “mistakes” like that aren’t supposed to happen.
We all know how this will end.
This is the state that turns illegal immigrants loose after they murder one of our fellow citizens.
But some of their legislators want to send your restaurant waiter TO JAIL FOR SIX MONTHS if he brings you a plastic straw you didn’t request!
California priorities are not the priorities of normal people. Normal people should LEAVE the state of California. The few who are still there.
I would not object at all to booting CA out of the Union.
California scares the hell out of me, and I ain’t scared a nuthin. Moonbeam has screwed this state up beyond all recognition. The one most likely to take his place is even worse. Soon as my 98 year old mother-in-law tips over we’re outa here.
Interesting that firearms are removed from “mental defective” and other classes. Why are those people still on the streets? If they are “deemed” to o unstable to own firearms then all sorts of sports equipment, cutting instruments, pyrotechnics, acid, rope, moving conveyances, etc. should be removed from their possession too!
Folks, we need to start talking the most important 13 words of the US Constitution seriously. I mean SERIOUSLY. They are: A well REGULATED MILITIA being NECESSARY for the SECURITY of a FREE state… If a STATE militia was being run in California under the US Constitution, I’d venture to say that THIS would not be going on. The militias could literally arrest ANYONE who violated their oaths of office to SUPPORT AND DEFEND THE US CONSTITUTION, which INCLUDES …the RIGHT of the PEOPLE to KEEP and BEAR arms SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED. These “laws” that are getting passed are in total violation of that document and the fact we have no STATE militias to keep the states SECURE from all enemies both foreign and DOMESTIC is a major problem. Everyone has the right to have a weapon to DEFEND themselves from aggression. It is an UNALIENABLE right. If someone commits a felony they are SUPPOSED to have been rehabilitated when they are let loose on society. And at that point they have the RIGHT, an UNALIENABLE right to self defense. They are SUPPOSED to be EX felons. A felon is in a cage and an EX felon is one that has been let loose. Before 1968 this was the case. What happened? We are loosing our freedom inch by inch, and if we don’t revitalize the state militias we are going to be through.
“Assault rifles”?? Let’s see….. OH YEAH! They mean the kinds of rifles that Obama and his USDOJ att. gen. sent to the Mexican cartels…right?? If I LIVED in CaliPORNia, and had a relative that had a rifle or shotgun confiscated by LE and something happened to them after having their defense taken away, I’d take it personal, and whoever was involved in passing such a communist bill, would have a bad hair day. Some times LIBERTY requires action, not talk.
This is how police states start. As usual, the government is treating the wrong end of the problem. Until those who use firearms illegally are thrown in prison for keeps, no plea bargains, no parole, our society will be victimized by these soulless predators. Mandatory death sentences for those who commit murder with a firearm should also be imposed nationwide. Punishment must fit the crime. There are just some individuals that cannot be rehabilitated and should be removed from the gene pool. We do the same for rabid dogs.
“Using the state’s Armed Prohibited Persons System (APPS) database, investigators are able to track down felons, domestic abusers and MENTAL DEFECTIVES to seize any firearms in their possession, specifically those that they may have purchased via an FFL prior to their conviction.”
What is a “mental defective”. ACLU interested in this one???? Lawsuit anyone????
It clearly means anyone who doesn’t follow their “common sense” agenda. However, by definition it would definitely include armed body guards and security agents who would protect the idiots who implement this shit.
Mental defective is too broad a term. It seems to be what some fruitcake crackhead CaliPORNia PHD holder (You know…Like Blasey Ford, who can’t remember her own name and has a fear of flying, unless she’s on vacation.) deems it to be. One of the highest groups of people who commit suicide, are those same fruits that judge others to be “MENTAL”… It’s just a cover for the liberals to have a piece of paper saying it’s LEGAL to take away defense from people.
Ya know, I might get behind this, since I consider every Progressive-Socialist Liberal to be “mentally defective.”
There should be irregular checks made at any time day or night at felons residences and registered vehicles for illegal weapons by prohibited people, then hook em up and put em in the slammer. Ensure the illegal invaders are checked also and deport them when found.
We have a name for folks like you…STATE worshippers. That is your GOD.
This police will kill any police who comes after my guns.
I once asked a cop who was against anyone other than military & police possessing firearms, what he would do with his gun(s) if he quit the force, or got fired.
No answer; you could hear a pin drop.
If you haven’t noticed, “the police” in multiple states are taking guns away from people, yet claiming to be “for the people”. You might think you’re going to shoot somebody coming for your guns. Don’t fool your self, if they want them they are going to take them. They will show up with their military equipment and you will not win.
Unfortunately the police have zero interest in doing what is right anymore, they will do whatever they are told just to get a check and pension.
Nice confiscation practice, fellas. Be ready, the Governor wants us to create some criteria for everyone else next…
Felons cannot have firearms.
Here in FL, if caught driving a vehicle with a suspended license, it’s a Felony!
Your license will be suspended for nothing more than forgetting to pay a parking ticket!(happened to me).
All they have to do is make a heap of minor offenses “felonies” and they have their excuse.
And unless you have enough money to get a real attorney, you lose everything as the Public Pretender will only try to get you to take a plea deal!
This is a slippery slope as any new law can be added , like no fly by buy, or something new…. even the domestic violence is a gun grab as it includes even an argument with a brother, sister, father , mother or “partner” , male or female. Even if no weapons were involved… even if it’s “disorderly conduct” and not domestic violence, if the disorderly involved a family member or partner… all of which is retro… no expo facto… if you were EVER involved in such a thing that is a lifetime ban…… and what will they add next?? See where they can go with this
Where can it go next? Hmmm…China, Russia, Cambodia, Hitler’s Germany…those kind of places come to mind.
For the record I am all for removing guns from felons hands, but what conservative or gun owner in his right mind would live in this state? You know they are coming for you next.
Most concerning is that this system consists of people who wanted to comply with the states new law and registered there firearms (The law abiding citizen). I highly doubt criminals registered there firearms.
They are not after criminals’ guns; they’re after yours!
It’s a fact(see pie chart above) that armed criminals use illegally obtained guns.
So….. the asswipe Liberals deranged thinking is if we remove the guns from all legal
firearms owners, there won’t be any to steal. I’m not joking, this is their HUTA idea.
I’m sure the California authorities were very careful not to ding and scratch the firearms and wiped down all the parts they touched with a lightly oiled cloth.
LOL, yeah.
It looks like its time to stash a few rifles, standard capacity magazines, and ammo for a rainy day.
When they come for the guns, they will get some, they may get most, but they will not get all.
When overreach gets to the point where you feel the need to “stash” them then this is the final indicator it’s time to use them.
Read Thomas Jefferson’s opinion on this.
in the name of good will lets all register your legal guns (after all you are not a criminal, nothing to worry about) in the name of good will who needs an AK or AR, the friendly cops now come to arrest or kill you (you are now a criminal), in the name of good will there is no more crime since we have confiscated all assault weapons, who needs a hand gun? the friendly cops now come for you again, you are a criminal, in the name of good will we must protect all animals, no one needs a hunting rifle anymore, the friendly cops come for you…congrats you are now a slave
We are ALREADY slaves. But many of the slaves are waking up and the powers that be are getting concerned because lots of the slaves are ARMED. And that can get pretty nasty for the slave masters and so they want to disarm us so that only they are their enforcers can feel safe.
This is what SHOULD be happening in terms of gun control, instead of tampering with people’s rights.
This is the first thing that I’ve seen in terms of removing guns from criminals instead of legal citizens.
Until they come for yours, because you registered them, and told them where to find them.
Nice try Obama…..
Your argument is invalid. This is exactly the opposite of what SHOULD happen and here is why:
Any person who actually reads between the lines will notice the fine print here. “Mentally defective” is pretty vague. It is vague to the point where it can be redefined on a case by case basis. What does “mentally defective” actually mean? To someone with common sense, it may defined as a person who is on the verge or could be on the verge of harming themselves or others. It could mean a person whose mental capacity is clinically defined as being poor or below average. Hell, it could mean John Wayne Gacy in a literal sense.
But….
No one outside of the legistature will actually have clear definition. And that is dangerous to any one law abiding.
For example, you can have a combat vet, diagnosed with mild PTSD (umbrella term by the way). He/she leads a normal life, has friends, wife, kids, etc. Upstanding citizen, helps his community. Conservative gun owner, pro 2A. Let us say he goes out one night, dinner with the wife. Someone tries to mug him/ her. He defends himself, maybe with less-than-lethal force. Mugger pulls his ass to court, PTSD is brought up during discovery. Due to how the law was written, based on his personal bias (which does happen, regardless of federal law) Judge rules in favor of the actual criminal and strips the veteran of his rights because of a technicality brought on by a vague term in legislation. Because the judge labeled him in court, as mentally defective.
Same shit could happen with bipolar disorders, anxiety disorders, sleep disorders, shit ANYTHING that falls outside of the societal norm, would be viewed as ” mentally defective”.
Were you born an idiot, or did you have to train to get that way?
This story should have Never happened!
The authorities had zero basis to confiscate the gunshop’s inventory and arrest that man. He was put-out of
business, his life disrupted, maybe lost his home, and had to face legal fees which, in his circumstances,
he could hardly afford.
Not to mention, every left-wing “news” outlet splashed his name all over the place.
So, Aron(rhymes with moron), when they kick-in your door at 3am, toss a flash-bang, and terrorize your family,
while they “gently” throw you on the floor & cuff you, I want you to remember what you said here.
But, what did you do? Remember that heated verbal exchange you had with the guy in the Wal-Mart parking lot
over a parking space 2 weeks ago? He later called the police and reported you for “violently assaulting” him.
You immediately became a “threat to others.”
“investigators are able to track down felons, . . . seize any firearms in their possession”
Uh and how about arresting them BECAUSE it is illegal to possess them????? Any bets if a law bidding citizen had a band weapon or magazine in their possession they would throw them in jail!
The law can be used as an instrument(weaponized) to effect an agenda.
This is why the Progressive-Socialist Liberals are desperately trying to seize power
at every level.
We saw this with the Obama regime. He could not get his plans passed in Congress,
so he initiated them by EO.
Unjust laws, esp. those that violate the Constitution, need to be opposed.
Where’s the Federal Government in this? If these are in fact “prohibited persons” why are they not being prosecuted under GCA ’68?
68 GCA is a totally unconstitutional piece of legislative garbage. As well as the NFA act.
This really should reduce “ALL” crime in California
Just testing out the registration system and working out the kinks until the real gun grabs begin…
This is horrible, they should let the mentally ill keep their rifles so they can kill others/themselves.
If someone is mentally ill and capable of murder why are they out amongst us? They should not be taking guns from them they should be committing them. What is to stop them from using a car or a knife or poison?
The majority of the confiscated guns went into the useless scum cop’s private collections.
right on the nail head , !!! who watches the dirty cop ? we cannot even trust the FBI or the justice department after all the filthy crap they have pulled and has been exposed , why would we trust our local cops ????
And your evidence for this?
Pay attention to the news.
Evidence of police corruption? You are kidding, right? First of all, nobody is better than the police at not getting caught. Second of all, FEW departments have kept their IAD’s and nearly every Fed, State, and even local gov employees are all immune from nearly all prosecution… Every Department ends up in corruption once the politicians begin their slow March of taking over. I will never know what these past congressmen were thinking when they created these monolithic FTLA’s (Federal Three Letter Agencies).
There were few words in that post not sure how you misunderstood.
I asked for specific
evidence for this specific circumstance.
None was provided, none will be.
I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that it happened, I think it probably does happen.
I like accuracy in arguments. If I claim something about a specific thing I’ll have something to back it up.
Go read the original post, my response was to that.
California is the most despicable state in the US. These communist political cronies are the ones who should be put in prison for taking their citizens rights away. That leader of this communist scum, Jerry Brown must be arrested and made an example to other politicians who break federal laws should also be charged for the crimes they have committed. These cronies have ruined Califonia and is now indoctrinating The citizens to become HATER of America. If Brown would quit hiding illegal aliens and spending billions to spite the president and DOJ, There would be 55,000 homeless people crapping in the filthy city of LA or San Francisco.
Not to hard to understand the true purpose of gun registration, now is it ?
This is a horrible, thinly disguised machine that they now have the capability to do an on mass confiscation! The “dry run” is being done on the felons? What drummer are the sheeples marching to, that is Adolph Hitler would be beyond proud to have this!
And people still wonder why I left the “Fool’s Gold” state (formerly the “Golden State”)…
Red or blue, they dont care about you. Just getting elected, re-elected, and moving higher in politics
This will reduce gun crime in LA county….NOT !!
Der Los Angeles Sheriff Department und California Governor Jerry Brown mochte nicht sie leute zu haben etwas zu gehschiessen! Aber sie mochte habt
ein volk, ein Reich, ein fuehrer! Sieg Heil!
How many legal guns have they confiscated? Surely they haven’t been perfect and…how do they know who has them? Registration is illegal! Are they going in felons homes and checking them illegally after they have served their times although they do not have rights to own guns? It depends on what process they use to confiscate those weapons.
Yeah these are the same geniuses that think all the homeless people using drugs and breaking into homes/cars are there because rent is too high. They can spend months and millions takeling this “problem”meanwhile where I live the crime rate up across the board. We now have 55k homeless just in LA county and we are finding needles and shut on the sidewalks. Thanks Gerry Brown and crowd. great job!