A Judiciary subcommittee recommended holding a November workshop with consultant Darren Mitchell to address firearm seizure and compliance procedures, victim notification limits and operational barriers across courts, law enforcement and service providers.

The workshop is intended to surface practical solutions after a smaller interagency meeting identified several challenges: the firearm registry is statutorily confidential, victims cannot be reliably notified about surrendered firearms and current compliance procedures depend heavily on law enforcement fieldwork and reporting to the special licensing and firearms unit.

Shauna summarized the subcommittee’s earlier discussion and said a one-day or two half-day workshop was planned. She said the smaller preparatory meeting included judicial court operations, public defenders and prosecutors and that those conversations yielded potential paths forward. “One of Mister Mitchell's recommendations when he came and presented to us was to designate a compliance case manager, for lack of a better term, like a central repository,” a participant said during the meeting.

Members discussed next steps, including having Mitchell meet first with a smaller subset of system stakeholders before addressing a larger group to ensure the workshop is focused and productive. The group listed potential invitees for the full workshop: Department of Correction staff, community health centers, emergency medical services (OEMS), parole and probation, the U.S. attorney's office, local law enforcement, survivors and private criminal defense counsel.

The subcommittee debated whether to pre-commit to a pilot site. Some members urged waiting for Mitchell’s recommendations before selecting a pilot, while others said identifying a pilot site in December would speed implementation. The group agreed Mitchell should present in November, after which the subcommittee will determine whether a pilot is appropriate and whether a fiscal note is required.

Members voted by voice to recommend holding the workshop; available schedules discussed preferred afternoon sessions for court staff. The subcommittee scheduled its next hybrid meeting for Nov. 19, immediately following the planned workshop, to consider Mitchell’s recommendations and next steps.