March 12, Los Angeles- California law enforcement officials moved to seize guns from owners that are not legally allowed to possess them. This includes people with a history of mental health issues. According to a report from Bloomberg Businessweek, California is the only state that cross-references its list of gun owners with those who have reported mental health issues and shouldn't have them. Currently the state reports 20,000 illegal firearm owners.
Examples of reported mental health issues include any involuntary submissions to facilities, a/k/a a "5150" submission.Guns were siezed from a woman who had recently completed a two-day stay in a mental health facility. Three guns were also removed from the home of a mentally ill woman. Although two were registered to her, one was registered to her husband. A spokesperson for the Attorney General Kamala Harris' office said the law prohibits the woman access to a firearm regardless of who owns it.
Last year California Justice Department officials removed 2,000 weapons, 117,000 rounds of ammo and 11,000 high capacity magazines. But the recent national shooting tragedies such as the ones in Newtown and Aurora appear to have motivated enforcement.
Department officials still can't enter homes without a warrant and they don't intend to arrest individuals. However, Harris has called to increase funding for more Justice Department agents in the program, hoping to double from 33 to 66 . So far, the California Senate has approved of a $24 million increase.
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