(a) In addition to the requirements of Section 11108.2 that apply to a law enforcement agency’s duty to report to the Department of Justice the recovery of a firearm, a law enforcement agency described in Section 11108.2 shall, and any other law enforcement agency or agent, including but not limited to a federal or tribal law enforcement agency or agent, may, report to the department in a manner determined by the Attorney General in consultation with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives all available information necessary to identify and trace the history of all recovered firearms that are illegally possessed, have been used in a crime, or are suspected of having been used in a crime, within seven calendar days of obtaining the information.

(b) When the department receives information from a law enforcement agency pursuant to subdivision (a), it shall promptly forward this information to the National Tracing Center of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to the extent practicable.

(c) In implementing this section, the Attorney General shall ensure to the maximum extent practical that both of the following apply:

(1) The information he or she provides to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives enables that agency to trace the ownership of the firearm described in subdivision (a).

(2) Law enforcement agencies can report all relevant information without being unduly burdened by this reporting function.

(d) Information collected pursuant to this section shall be maintained by the department for a period of not less than 10 years, and shall be available, under guidelines set forth by the Attorney General, for academic and policy research purposes.

(e) The Attorney General may issue regulations to further the purposes of this section.

(Amended by Stats. 2018, Ch. 864, Sec. 3. (AB 2222) Effective January 1, 2019.)