Existing law requires law enforcement agencies to enter each firearm into the Department of Justice Automated Firearms System that has been reported stolen, lost, found, recovered, held for safekeeping, surrendered, relinquished, or under observation. Existing law requires these law enforcement agencies to report to the Department of Justice all available information necessary to identify and trace the history of all recovered firearms that are illegally possessed, have been used in a crime, or are suspected of having been used in a crime, within 7 calendar days of obtaining the information. Existing law requires that the information collected be maintained by the department for a period of not less than 10 years, and to be available, under guidelines set forth by the Attorney General, for academic and policy research purposes.

This bill would clarify that the information be available to any town, city, or county, any state government agency, a California community college or California State University, or the University of California, under guidelines set forth by the Attorney General, for academic and policy research purposes, and would require the Attorney General to make this information available, upon request by any of these specified entities, in a format conducive to the requester’s needs.