Report 2013-103 Data Reliability Assessments
| Description of Data | Agency Purpose of Data |
|---|---|
| Armed Prohibited Persons System (APPS database) |
The APPS database houses information on persons who purchased or acquired a handgun(s) on or after January 1, 1996, or registered an assault weapon(s), and subsequently became prohibited from owning and/or possessing firearms under state or federal law. Magnitude of DataThe APPS database contains more than 3.5 million records consisting of individuals who own firearms and includes historical values associated with those individuals. |
| Purpose of Testing | Data Reliability Determination |
Calculating mental health facilities reporting statistics, the number of mental health reports submitted to the California Department of Justice (Justice), the number of firearm owners with personal identifying numbers not used in the matching process, and the average number of days it took Justice to make a determination. Further, we also used these data for the purpose of selecting determinations for review. |
Undetermined Reliability—We performed data-set verification procedures and electronic testing of key data elements and did not identify any issues. We did not perform accuracy and completeness testing of these data because the source documents required for this testing are stored by various entities, such as mental health facilities, courts, or firearm retailers located throughout the State, making such testing cost-prohibitive. |
| Corrective Action Recommended | Status of Corrective Action |
| We did not recommend corrective action. | N/A |
| Description of Data | Agency Purpose of Data |
| Mental Health Firearms Prohibition System (mental health database) |
The mental health database is an inquiry-only database containing firearms eligibility information on persons prohibited from owning or possessing firearms due to a mental health disorder per sections 8100 and 8103 of the California Welfare and Institutions Code. Magnitude of DataThe mental health database contains more than 2.6 million records containing reports from entities and other prohibition data. |
| Purpose of Testing | Data Reliability Determination |
Calculating mental health facilities reporting statistics, the number of mental health reports submitted to the California Department of Justice (Justice), the number of firearm owners with personal identifying numbers not used in the matching process, and the average number of days it took Justice to make a determination. Further, we also used these data for the purpose of selecting determinations for review. |
Undetermined Reliability—We performed data-set verification procedures and electronic testing of key data elements and did not identify any issues. We did not perform accuracy and completeness testing of these data because the source documents required for this testing are stored by various entities, such as mental health facilities, courts, or firearm retailers located throughout the State, making such testing cost-prohibitive. |
| Corrective Action Recommended | Status of Corrective Action |
| We did not recommend corrective action. | N/A |