The campaign works by submitting two firearm casings to an Orange County Deputy after a gun theft has occurred. These casings are then submitted into National Integrated Ballistic Information Network known as NIBIN. NIBIN is a national database containing digital images of spent bullets and cartridge casings that were found at crime scenes or test-fired from confiscated firearms. This database can be searched for possible matches and if a "hit" occurs, the NIBIN lab sends that information to OCSO investigators.

Call 9-1-1. An Orange County Deputy will respond to your location to report the stolen gun.

You will provide your casings when reporting your firearm stolen. The Orange County deputy taking the report will submit them to NIBIN. NIBIN only captures and stores firearms evidence and fired ammunition components as part of a criminal investigation. It cannot collect this information when the firearm is manufactured or prior to a criminal event such as the firearm being stolen.

The shell casing can confirm the identity of the firearm. If the information and bullet casing are submitted to the NIBIN system after a weapon is stolen, OCSO will be able to return the firearm to its owner.

When your gun is stolen, you will provide two casings that were fired from the firearm that you are reporting stolen. Place those casings in an envelope, and write the serial number, make and model of your firearm on the outside. Then hand that envelope to the officer taking your report.

No. Your participation is completely voluntary, however, we encourage the community to take part in an effort to reduce violent crime involving firearms.

As a gun owner, you will store your casings and firearm information in your home, separate from where you store your respective firearm. In the event your firearm is stolen, you will give that information to the reporting deputy and they will submit it to NIBIN, where it will be compared against their existing database.

No, reporting the stolen gun to the authorities demonstrates a level of concern equal to that of a person who wants the gun recovered to minimize harm to the community. Liability then falls onto the person currently in possession of the gun at the time of the crime. 

If your gun is used in a crime, the gun will be held during the entire duration of the investigation of the crime, the court proceedings or longer. This timeframe can be dependent on the type of crime, the initial court proceeding and any appellate process.