Ballistics tracking urged to ID guns

Maryland and New York are currently the only two states which have had these so-called "ballistics fingerprinting" laws on the books. They have not led to or aided any criminal convictions. These states have wasted millions of dollars to pacify a bunch of ill-informed firearm-phobics. Like all gun control laws, there is not one single independent academic study showing any gun control law having a positive impact at reducing crime, but those firearm-phobics sure feel good about themselves! Small wonder they keep coming back for more when their "common sense" gun laws fail pretending that more of the same will work and that the entire nation needs to enact similar failed legislation.

The problem is not the gun. It's the "NUT" that squeezes the trigger. Responsible citizens armed and with proper training are the real solution to the crime problems in the Washington DC and surrounding area. Criminals think twice when the possibility exists that the guy standing in line at the grocery store just may be packing a bigger gun. That is the way it is here in Tennessee, works for us. May just work for you. HW

Micro stamping is a system that is easily defeated. Criminals will just find where it stamps the casing and then grind off the stamp or replace the parts. Or they will go to a range and pick up someone else’s fired brass and dump it at a crime scene. A revolver doesn't eject the shells so criminals will use them more too. The ten round magazine limit is a joke too. It only takes a couple seconds to reload a magazine so if a crook gets 5 ten round mags they will have more firepower than the police. What they need to work on is criminal control not gun control and let the law-abiding citizens be able to protect themselves.

The failure of the New York and Maryland ballistic imaging database systems to solve any crimes in their nearly eight years of existence was predictable. In 2001, California wisely rejected setting up its own ballistics imaging system because research, including by the California Department of Justice, proved that a database of lawfully purchased firearms (that are rarely ever used in crimes) would not be an effective law enforcement tool. Another study released earlier this year by the National Research Council confirmed the findings and advised against setting up a national ballistics imaging system. New York and Maryland have wasted millions of taxpayer dollars on systems doomed to fail. It is believed that New York has even stopped entering images into its database – with a backlog of over 25,000 cartridge cases -- because the computer server housing the database is offline and isn’t even in the state. In 2004, a report by the Maryland State Police Forensic Sciences Division concluded that the ballistic imaging system “had not proven to be a time saving tool for the firearms examiner or an investigative enhancement to the criminal investigator,” and that “it has simply failed in the mission and vision concepts originally established for the program.” [emphasis in original.] These “retail point - of - purchase databases” should be distinguished from the ballistics imaging database of crime scene evidence maintained by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, called the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, which has had some success in developing investigatory leads. As the failures of ballistic imaging are becoming known, some gun control advocates that had initially supported mandating ballistic imaging databases are now promoting a new technology, called firearms microstamping. Firearms Microstamping is the patented process that laser engraves the firearm's make, model and serial number on the tip of the gun's firing pin so that, in theory, it imprints the information on discharged cartridge cases. Microstamping is a nascent technology that numerous independent studies , including by the NRC, University of California at Davis and renowned forensic scientist Professor George Krivosta, have proven to be unreliable and easily defeated in mere seconds using common household tools. Furthermore, microstamping can be simply evaded by criminals by switching out microstamped parts on a firearm for unmarked spare parts. In fact, yesterday Washington, D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier joined the firearms industry in calling for further research into microstamping prior to any legislative mandate. While the firearms industry welcomes further independent study of either technology, the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute (SAAMI) supports allocating taxpayer dollars to proven means of crime reduction such as more police officers and more prosecutors.

What a joke! Not only doesn't it work, but there's only one company in the country pushing this technology. It was tried in Massachussetts a couple years ago. The state had spent something like $3 million setting it up, and it didn't close one crime. They scrapped it. don't people learn? Does anyone actually think a criminal is going to submit their weapon for a 'sample'? Yeah, drink some more of that kool-aid.

One, the micro-stamping is simply boondoggling, creating something that does little or no good, but looks good. Secondly, the magazine capacity is unimportant. They should realize that criminals won't follow the 10 shot rule and probably have 17 round or better magazines in place as we read this, along with full auto. They treat the law abiding citizen like THEY were the criminal. What difference does it make if a citizen has 10 or 17 shots available. Law abiding are not there to have it out with the police, they are simply exercising their RIGHTS to keep and bear arms and not be infringed. What part of "NOT INFRINGE" does Ms Lanier not comprehend. Personally, she needs to be fired, and replaced with someone with some smarts. There is only one gun control that works, and that is to hit what I aim at... like the Governor of Montana. *S*

"However, the law still caps magazine capacity at 10 rounds in an effort to ensure that police have more firepower than criminals. Those who wish to purchase guns manufactured to hold more rounds would have to buy magazines modified to hold no more than 10. " They really think criminals won't use higher capacity magazines?

The real travesty to all of this is that you can prove to the politicians that these processes do not work and they don't care. It makes them look good that they have taken action. California's Governor was personally invited over to my home where it was my intention to show him how simple it was to defeat this micro-stamping technology. He just blew me off and signed a bill that only makes it harder for manufacturers to sell their product. I've been a police officer most of my adult life (25yrs and counting) and been a student/instuctor of firearms use and design for over 15yrs. Why is it these dumb-ass politicians can't rely on information from the people who know what is practical before they sign this kind of crap into law?