CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SACRAMENTO : Assault Weapon Registration Lags

The California Department of Justice reported that 17,000 assault guns have been registered so far and projected that the total will hit 45,000, still far short of the 300,000 such weapons believed in private ownership in the state. Under the assault weapons control law, another 20 people tried to register their firearms but were disqualified from doing so by a history of crime or mental instability, the agency said, adding that names and addresses of rejected applicants have been sent to local law enforcement authorities for investigation of whether they are in illegal possession of guns.