The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office is forming a new "County Gun Team" focused on removing guns from dangerous offenders who don't have a legal right to own a firearm.

The specialized, five-person unit will consist of two crime analysts, two investigators and a dedicated gun violence prosecutor. It will focus on the task of removing guns from dangerous offenders who don't have a legal right to own a firearm.

“It used to be a part-time job of the particularly motivated,” Marisa McKeown, a supervising deputy district attorney overseeing the D.A.’s Crime Strategies Unit, said at a Monday news conference. “It needs to be a full-time job of a team of people.”

McKeown was named founding supervisor of the District Attorney's new Crime Strategies Unit back in August of 2018.

Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez added that she hoped the new initiative would remind the public to report “troubling people” who shouldn’t have access to firearms.

#EnforcementIsCritical The @SCCgov Board of Supervors votes on approving a County Gun Team Tuesday. https://t.co/XcxXZKigDa — Cindy Chavez (@SupCindyChavez) February 24, 2020

The Firearms Policy Coalition, a Sacramento-based nonprofit organization that advocates for individual liberties, has generally fought preemptive action proposals that do not include provisions for quick resolution of individuals accidentally ensared by the new program. Their reaction to Monday’s announcement was less than positive.

“The so-called ‘proposal’ lacks substance, details, clear accountability, and appears to be yet another government boondoggle to add expensive government salaries to an already bloated budget,” the coalition said in a statement to The Mercury News.

A new team has formed to get illegal guns off South Bay streets, especially those weapons held by suspects with restraining orders for domestic violence. https://t.co/xo9gY72pgf — NBC Bay Area (@nbcbayarea) February 25, 2020