New LA County platforms help enforce firearm relinquishment orders

The Superior Court of Los Angeles County on Thursday launched a new digital platform designed to automate the reporting of failures to relinquish firearms by individuals under domestic violence restraining orders.

The system is designed to automatically alert law enforcement agencies when the subject of a restraining order or other court injunction fails to surrender their firearms, firearm parts or ammunition. The change replaces a manual, multistep process that, officials said, previously slowed cross-agency communication and response.

“With the automated system with the agent, notices are sent within minutes of a violation being entered into the Court’s Case Management system, this system automatically identifies the correct jurisdiction and transmits the notice electronically, eliminating manual steps, reducing the chance of human error and enabling faster law enforcement response,” Sergio Tapia, presiding judge of Los Angeles County Superior Court said at a press conference on Thursday.

The court also launched a a new platform that allows law enforcement agencies to view all firearm relinquishment restraining order violations within their jurisdictions.

According to the California Department of Justice, the number of domestic violence calls involving firearms increased by 80% between 2019 and 2021. Domestic violence restraining orders, under federal law, prevent firearm ownership, a measure aimed at disarming individuals who’ve proven they pose a danger to others.

California and 21 other states have enacted laws that go beyond federal law, requiring the surrender of firearms when a restraining order is issued, according to Everytown Research and Policy. In these cases, a licensed gun dealer or law enforcement agency must sign for the court a form stating that weapons were turned in or sold.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hickman said the automated notifications will trigger an immediate and coordinated law-enforcement response across the county’s 88 agencies, potentially saving lives.

“The statistics are absolutely clear,” Hickman told media at the Thursday briefing. “Abusers who have access to guns are five times more likely to kill their victims than if they didn’t have access to those guns.”