California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell announced “Operation Dual Force” Tuesday — a coordinated effort to remove illegally-possessed weapons and ammunition from individuals within a law enforcement database.

The Armed Prohibited Persons System (APPS) is a database that was created to help law enforcement officials identify individuals who previously procured firearms, but then later became prohibited from legally owning them.

The names listed in the database include those who are no longer allowed to possess their previously purchased firearm because they have since been convicted of a felony, a violent misdemeanor, placed under a domestic violence or other restraining order, or suffer from serious mental illness, according to officials.

The joint operation, with the use of the APPS, has helped successfully close 227 cases, 35 of which resulted in arrests, according to the State of California Department of Justice.

Related: Los Angeles County Gun Offenders To Serve Full Sentence In County Jail

“This operation is a prime example of how law enforcement comes together to fight crime and keep our neighborhoods safe by removing illegally-possessed guns from our communities,” said Becerra. “Thanks to the partnership with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, we can now hold these individuals accountable. We will continue this successful collaboration to keep guns away from people who are prohibited from owning them.”

The joint operation, which is expected to be completed in December 2018, has led to the removal of 111 firearms, including seven assault weapons, 56 handguns, 21 shotguns, 24 rifles and three lower receivers.

In addition, the operation seized over 27,647 rounds of ammunition, 50 high-capacity magazines and 106 standard-capacity magazines, according to California Department of Justice officials.

Operations and seizures such as these, as well as ongoing and day-to-day investigations, have removed over 18,000 firearms from persons prohibited under California law from possessing weapons, according to officials.

“The partnership between the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the California State Attorney General will more effectively fight gun violence by preventing unqualified people from obtaining weapons,” said McDonnell.

California is the first and only state in the nation to have established an automated system for tracking firearm owners who fall into a prohibited status, according to state officials.

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