San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office and the Superior Court work to remove 410 firearms

According to a recent report from the state, in the first 13 months of the program, 93 firearms were relinquished. Eighteen of those cases involved gun violence crimes, 11 involved domestic violence and three involved civil harassment. On average, 37% of those firearms were relinquished voluntarily and 63% were relinquished involuntarily.

The uptick in firearms relinquishment — particularly voluntary relinquishment — in the latter months of the program was due to the two departments refining the process and better educating individuals on the process. Cases when individuals were in possession of multiple weapons also played a role, Massey said.

“Part of it was letting them know not only they have to do it, but here’s how you do it,” he said.

Self-help services — like immediate preparation of restraining order forms — are now provided in the courtroom in tandem with firearm background checks on all restrained persons, according to the press release.

Working in the newly-established program helped him realize how sorely it was needed in the county, Massey said.

“Every time there is a restraining order issued, even if there is not a gun finding … we’re still reviewing the restraining order to make sure anything didn’t fall through the cracks,” he said. “Before I became the manager who oversees detectives and really dug into this process, I just didn’t know what was slipping through the cracks. The court didn’t know what was slipping through the cracks.”

Massey works with two detectives from local Peninsula agencies, reviewing restraining orders and court-referred cases, getting in touch with individuals who haven’t relinquished their firearms and obtaining search warrants for guns when other options fail.

In addition, his team is consistently searching through the statewide database of individuals prohibited from possessing firearms and working in tandem with local law enforcement agencies, Massey said.

The court is responsible for creating and implementing firearms compliance procedures and providing assistance with restraining orders.

San Mateo County is one of eight counties in the state to receive funding for the firearms compliance program, which totals around $4.9 million. The Superior Court is deeming the work a success.

“After two years, we have fine-tuned the program to become the gold standard in California for enforcing firearm relinquishment in civil restraining order matters. Other courts are consulting with us to create their own programs and replicate our procedures,” Judge Susan Greenberg said in a Oct. 24 press release.

Long-term program sustainability remains a challenge as funding is set to run dry in the upcoming years, according to the state report. Massey is hopeful that, given the positive results, increased resources for firearms relinquishment protocol will continue moving forward.

“I truly believe this project will continue moving forward,” he said.

The departments are also exploring the possibility of program expansion to cover criminal cases and providing additional resources to the probation department, according to the release.