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Calif Gun Control Program Offered As Federal Model

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California's attorney general says the nation should follow the state's lead in seizing guns from felons, the mentally ill and others who are not allowed to possess firearms.

In a letter to Vice President Joe Biden, Attorney General Kamala Harris says the state's Armed Prohibited Persons System has led to the confiscation of more than 10,000 illegally held weapons since it was created in 2006.

The computerized system cross-checks five databases to find people who bought firearms but are not permitted to own them. State Department of Justice agents have conducted a series of sweeps, seizing 1,900 weapons last year alone.

California is the only state with such a system.

Harris says in a letter made public Thursday that the nation should adopt California's model to help stem gun violence.

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.)

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