(a) The Department of Justice shall conduct a public education and notification program regarding the registration of assault weapons and the definition of the weapons set forth in Section 30515 and former Section 12276.1, as it read at any time from when it was added by Section 7 of Chapter 129 of the Statutes of 1999 to when it was repealed by the Deadly Weapons Recodification Act of 2010.

(b) The public education and notification program shall include outreach to local law enforcement agencies and utilization of public service announcements in a variety of media approaches, to ensure maximum publicity of the limited forgiveness period of the registration requirement specified in subdivision (f) of former Section 12285, as that subdivision read in Section 5 of Chapter 954 of the Statutes of 1991, and the consequences of nonregistration. The department shall develop posters describing gunowners’ responsibilities under former Chapter 2.3 (commencing with Section 12275) of Title 2 of Part 4, as that chapter read when the forgiveness period commenced on January 1, 1992, which shall be posted in a conspicuous place in every licensed gun store in the state during the forgiveness period.

(c) For .50 BMG rifles, the department’s education campaign shall provide materials to dealers of .50 BMG rifles, and to recognized national associations that specialize in .50 BMG rifles.

(d) Any costs incurred by the Department of Justice to implement this section, which cannot be absorbed by the department, shall be funded from the Dealers’ Record of Sale Special Account, as set forth in Section 28235, or former Section 12076 as it read at any time from when it was amended by Section 1.7 of Chapter 954 of the Statutes of 1991 to when it was repealed by Section 12 of Chapter 606 of the Statutes of 1993, or former Section 12076 as it read at any time from when it was enacted by Section 13 of Chapter 606 of the Statutes of 1993 to when it was repealed by the Deadly Weapons Recodification Act of 2010, upon appropriation by the Legislature.

(Added by Stats. 2010, Ch. 711, Sec. 6. (SB 1080) Effective January 1, 2011. Operative January 1, 2012, by Sec. 10 of Ch. 711.)