Posted on 07/24/2005 5:22:23 AM PDT by holymoly
The anonymity of ammunition is being fought with the proposal of Assembly Bill 352, which, if passed, would require that every semiautomatic handgun sold after January 2009 be equipped with a new microstamping technology that would allow law enforcement officials to link the used bullet cases to the handguns from which they were fired.
This new technology would stamp a serial number on to every bullet fired from a particular gun. That number would be linked to the owner of the gun in already existing database of gun owners.
In a recent press release introducing the legislation, Assemblyman Paul Koretz (D-West Hollywood) stated, “I believe that microstamping will put California in the forefront in crime solving technology. I can not imagine anyone who could be opposed to this cutting edge technology.”
However, there are those who do oppose the bill, including ammunition manufacturers who say outfitting their factories with coding equipment to mark each of the 8 billion rounds produced a year would drive up cost and force them out of business. Also, some argue that the new codes will do more harm than good if the ammunition and handguns are stolen.
“What will happen is a crime will be committed with a stolen gun and bullets and the police will trace it to an innocent person,” says handgun enthusiast and NRA member Pete Fosworth, “And what about all the guns already on the streets? I just don’t see how it would work.”
In general law enforcement officials support this measure, saying that the tiny etched numbers would help them track down criminals much more efficiently than in previous years.
“This new bill would not only allow police to find out who bought the bullets, but also which gun they were fired from,” says retired LAPD police officer Larry Calhoun, “It would narrow down suspects and help prevent police from blaming the wrong person. Overall it is a good idea.”
The bill, sponsored by the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, has already passed the Assembly and one Senate panel and is up for further review in August.
Second Amendment? What Second Amendment? Don't need no stinkin' Second Amendment.
Yikes! Be afraid, be very afraid. Remember as goes Kalifornia, so goes Amerika later.
"When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another..."
Tick, tick, tick...
Those folks willing to commit a felony must also be willing to pay the consequences for their actions. Best to derail this attack on our freedoms rather than break the law later.
My beeber is stuned again. Twice in one morning. Seriesly!
How in the Hell does the gun stamp the projectile and the cartridge case with a number? "Enquiring minds" want to know! I can envision a way to stamp the case, but that is a simple fix (brass catcher, or a revolver), but the bullet?
Or is this a typical antigun nitwit who does not know a cartridge case from a bullet?
Better keep tight control of your spent brass. What about reloading? Interesting stuff.
When the price of legal guns skyrocket, you give incentive for smugglers to bring in lower cost, untraceable pistols for the criminal world. It is not hard to backward engineer a semi auto pistol in the Third World.
Buying stock is one thing; advocating law breaking is another. Your post could just as easily depicted a hacksaw for shortening shotgun barrels. Same jail time for either either federal offense.
And there is always shell catchers.
Catch your own shells - drop the forged. A perfect crime. This law is stupid and solves nothing.
Exactly - the cost of gun ownership for most people becomes too high.
"I don't hunt much anymore and I'm not a gun collector. I live in good neighborhood. I really don't need a gun, so this law doesn't effect me."
The 2A exists in theory, but not in practice. The gun-grabbers win.
Yes, yes. Same with "assault" weapons, etc.
If the tobacco industry had boycott selling cigarettes in states participating in lawsuits, the sales tax revenue from cigarettes would drop to zero. The first state suing, their politicians would face the problem of how to balance their revenue shortfall. The other states would not want to suffer from the same fate would not have join in the lawsuits. Instead tobacco industry relied on their lawyers and the tobacco companies did not have a united front. Consequence, the first state wins in court, the rest of the states piled on. The gun industry must not make the same mistake. All should boycott the selling of guns and ammo to state government agencies (including local) and deprive them the means to maintain order. When police budgets soar, and gun/ammo shortages hit them, the state can not force the gun manufacturers to sell guns to them. However, the question is can foreign manufacturers step in? It would be ironic the states that ban guns would have a police force equipped with AK-47's and Chicom pistols.
Actually some "3rd World" countries already makes some fine firearms, there's no need to backward engineer. Some like Argentine bought manufacturing rights from Colt long ago for the 1911. Taurus pistols are made in Brazil and Arcus (fairly new on the scene) is made in Bulgaria. And Albania of all places makes a better than average AK.
The bottom line is that this Bill is just stealth gun control.
I read that Barrett was considering just that.
I actually sent a letter to RJR-Nabisco about the time that the law suits were taking off.
I suggested that what they should do is issue a statement saying, "You know, you're right. Cigarettes are bad, so we're going to stop selling them in the US, we're going to stop making them here, and we're going to stop buying US grown tobacco. We'll be moving off-shore to countries who actually want us there."
I would give almost anything to see what the state and federal governments would have done given that ultimatum...
My guess is that they would have "nationalized" the tobacco industry, where the government siezed the assets of the companies, ostensibly to ensure that the "damages" would be paid. But they would have killed the golden goose.
Mark
When this stupidity ends up in MA and it will if Kalifornia passes it. I'll just have to crank up the press and reload a bit more. Right now I just keep stocking up for the future. What really pisses me off though is I can no longer purchase ammo via mail order. Sportsman's Guide has the best deals on bulk ammo. Love that Russian surplus 7.62X39mm.
Unless of course these geniuses have figured out a way to ID every pellet in bird shot.
I never advocated breaking the law.
I simply recognized an inevitablilty - that this "technology" may well be defeated in some manner. Just as serial numbers have been filed off firearms for decades, some criminal will find a way to defeat this.
OR, obtaining a gun from another state or one of the many black market firearms that most criminals use instead of trying to buy one legally.
If they had a brain these politicians might actually become more dangerous than they already are.
Hopefully this POS legislation won't pass along with the one that is supposed to stamp serial numbers on bullets. What a bunch of idiots. Just another attempt to get rid of firearms in the state of CA.
Hmm, I wonder if they'll ship to me now. I'm outside Chicago and Cook County in what's called here a "collar county". I haven't purchased anything from them for a while but I still get the catalog, maybe I better check.
But there's still CheaperThanDirt.com. Have you tried them? That's where I get my 8mm (8x57) Mauser and 9mm (9x18) Makarov Glaser Safety Slug ammo.
*****How in the Hell does the gun stamp the projectile and the cartridge case with a number? "Enquiring minds" want to know! I can envision a way to stamp the case, but that is a simple fix (brass catcher, or a revolver), but the bullet?Or is this a typical anti-gun nitwit who does not know a cartridge case from a bullet?*****
I see you noticed that too.
The casing in 'theory' I guess can be done - with firing pin modifications. But the 'bullet' itself, no way - unless it is done at the factory (which I think has been proposed). So I'm guessing that's why the bill pertains to semi-autos and not revolvers.
And as you say I'm sure the Bill is written by an anti-gun nitwit, or the 'reporter' got it wrong - whose also likely to be an anti-gun nitwit.
WAIT.. I just noticed, it's written by "Michelle", I should have known. It seems to me that every anti gun article is now written by some firearm illiterate female 'reporterette'. I swear it must be a union rule. And they ALWAYS get something wrong, like a shotgun turning into an AK-47.
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