We focus on taking guns from criminals

At the California Department of Justice, our first priority is public safety. When it comes to keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous people, California has figured out what makes a difference, and we’re doing it.

Earlier this month, a Government Accountability Office report suggested that the federal government and states like California that perform background checks on firearm purchases could do more to investigate and prosecute those who failed background checks and might have lied on their forms. In a world of unlimited resources, we certainly would. Instead, we prioritize our finite resources to go after dangerous criminals who already possess weapons illegally.

Since 2006, our Armed and Prohibited Persons System has cross-referenced firearms owners against criminal history records and restraining orders. Every day, our agents investigate and contact people who own firearms but are now prohibited from possessing them because of a felony or violent misdemeanor conviction, serious mental illness or a protective order. Their job is to retrieve the registered firearms. Too often, they recover an arsenal of assault rifles and ammunition.

We are the only state in the nation with such a program to confiscate illegally held weapons. It’s paying off: We have taken more than 18,000 guns out of the hands of criminals and dangerous individuals in the past five years.

Lying on registration forms to attempt to procure a firearm is serious. But a gun in the hands of a convicted felon spells clear and present danger. Those who fail our background check are prevented from purchasing a gun. They have no legal means of obtaining a weapon in California.

Gun violence is an epidemic that we must eradicate. No state has worked harder at taking real action than California. Removing guns from dangerous individuals is our priority.

Xavier Becerra is the attorney general of California.