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Scrapped: Maryland ends bullet ID program after 15 years, $5M and zero cases solved
Fox News ^ | November 10, 2015 | Perry Chiaramonte

Posted on 11/10/2015 10:16:16 AM PST by richardb72

An ambitious plan by Maryland to catalog the “fingerprint” of every gun sold in the state -- making dealers fire a shot and send in the spent casing -- is being scrapped, literally.

State authorities have conceded that the bullet ID program, enacted in 2000, cost $5 million, was plagued by technical problems and did not solve a single crime. Now, the 300,000 shell casings, one from every handgun sold in the state since the law took effect, will now be sold for scrap metal.

"Obviously, I'm disappointed," former Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening, whose administration pushed for the database, told the Baltimore Sun. "It's a little unfortunate, in that logic and common sense suggest that it would be a good crime-fighting tool."

But Second Amendment advocates say the program was doomed to fail.

“It was clear 10 years ago that this program was not going to work,” John Lott, president of the Crime Prevention Research Center told FoxNews.com. "Millions were spent on funding this program, money that could have been better used for actual police and law-enforcement resources.” . . .

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Front Page News; News/Current Events; US: Maryland
KEYWORDS: banglist; cprc; foxiness; foxnews; guncontrol; gunregistration; maryland
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1 posted on 11/10/2015 10:16:16 AM PST by richardb72
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To: richardb72
"Obviously, I'm incompetent disappointed," former Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening, whose administration pushed for the database, told the Baltimore Sun.

Needed a little editorial correction.
2 posted on 11/10/2015 10:21:08 AM PST by Zarro (Ben Carson 2016)
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To: richardb72

Any prosecutions for failure to comply?


3 posted on 11/10/2015 10:23:54 AM PST by Bogey78O (We had a good run. Coulda been great still.)
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To: richardb72
Is Maryland the last holdout on this experiment? Does this mean no more little envelope with a test fire casing when you buy a new firearm?

The program was doomed to failure anyway, because any unique markings on a spent shell casing when the gun is new won't match with the markings left after the gun has been fired 1,000 times.

Matching shell casings to a particular firearm only works when the test casing and the crime scene recovered casing are fired close to each other.

To a lesser extent, ditto with bullet markings.

4 posted on 11/10/2015 10:31:39 AM PST by Yo-Yo (Is the /sarc tag really necessary?)
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To: richardb72
"It's a little unfortunate, in that logic and common sense suggest that it would be a good crime-fighting tool is so lacking in politicians."
5 posted on 11/10/2015 10:35:58 AM PST by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer)
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To: richardb72
"It's a little unfortunate, in that logic and common sense suggest that it would be a good crime-fighting tool."

Liberals often apply "logic and common sense" to false information with ubiquitous results that should have taught them the limits of the approach were they either logical or if they possessed common sense.

6 posted on 11/10/2015 10:37:57 AM PST by Carry_Okie (The tree of liberty needs a rope.)
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To: richardb72

Does MD have mandatory background checks? Registration? If so, how many crimes have they cracked? Good time to dump those programs too.


7 posted on 11/10/2015 10:38:30 AM PST by umgud (v)
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To: richardb72
Five million dollars may have been the direct cost to Maryland, but other costs were incurred by dealers and manufacturers.

I know a guy (IKAG) who purchased several firearms since this nonsense began. Each came with a fired casing in a small coin envelope with identifying information. The extra cost of supplying this was no doubt included in the purchase price of the firearm.

The cost of this nonsense to those manufacturers, passed on to consumers, was no doubt several more millions. There is no price so high that anti-gunners are not willing to have gun owners pay for their fantasies.

These manufacturers should sue the state of Maryland for the costs of having had their Second Amendment right to manufacture arms infringed.

8 posted on 11/10/2015 10:43:01 AM PST by William Tell
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To: richardb72

Remembering when that was passed. Haven’t thought about it since. If there had been success stories we would have never stopped hearing about it.


9 posted on 11/10/2015 10:50:34 AM PST by jimfree (In November 2016 my 15 y/o granddaughter will have more quality exec experience than Barack Obama)
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To: umgud
Does MD have mandatory background checks?

For regulated weapons (handguns, and infamous assault rifles that look scary) ... yes. For unregulated weapons (shotgun, rifles, etc.) just a simple NIC check.

Registration?

Regulated weapons are registered, yes.

If so, how many crimes have they cracked?

Like the article said, none.

It always intrigued me how the politicians thought a spent case could identify the weapon. Much of the ammo that gun owners shoot is reloaded casings ... which we pick up at the range ... which was fired from someone else's gun ... which is then fired from mine ... and hits the cement floor ... and I reload again ...

10 posted on 11/10/2015 11:30:25 AM PST by dartuser
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To: dartuser

Don’t forget HQL (handgun qualification license) and 7 day waiting period for handguns.

I can’t wait to move to America.


11 posted on 11/10/2015 11:35:25 AM PST by SnuffaBolshevik (Enter something.)
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To: richardb72

We all know any program like that running for 15 years cost a lot more then $5M.


12 posted on 11/10/2015 11:38:58 AM PST by jacknhoo (Luke 12:51. Think ye, that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, no; but separation.)
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To: Yo-Yo
...after the gun has been fired 1,000 times.

What kind of a madman fires a gun 1,000 times?

A good Smith & Wesson revolver should last 15,000 rounds before tune-up. A Ruger probably twice that.

1000 at least every couple of years or you're just playing with it.

13 posted on 11/10/2015 11:59:46 AM PST by Rinnwald
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To: richardb72

Did this retread not realize that with most semi-auto hand guns the barrel and slide are routinely removed during a field stripping and cleaning? So of course a different barrel and slide could never be easily substituted.


14 posted on 11/10/2015 12:08:01 PM PST by nomad
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To: Rinnwald

Do you like the Ruger?


15 posted on 11/10/2015 12:11:25 PM PST by CJ Wolf (Seems like a good time to recycle.)
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To: dartuser

Thanks

Here in CA almost everything is thru an FFL. Handguns/assault(?) weapons registered and as of Jan ‘14 long guns too.


16 posted on 11/10/2015 12:38:10 PM PST by umgud (v)
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To: CJ Wolf

I like them all, Sonny.

I tend to go single action with Rugers, I have four of them, and double action with Smiths, also with four currently.

My last, a Ruger Single Seven in .327 Mag (that’s not a typo), after a little sorting out, is quite the pip.


17 posted on 11/10/2015 1:17:00 PM PST by Rinnwald
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To: richardb72
That collection of reloadable brass is probably worth a lot of money. But the idiots will probably sell it for scrap rather than sell it to the reloading market.
18 posted on 11/10/2015 2:26:59 PM PST by JoeFromSidney (,)
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To: William Tell
The extra cost of supplying this was no doubt included in the purchase price of the firearm.

The cost of this nonsense to those manufacturers, passed on to consumers, was no doubt several more millions.

Just like any 'taxes' that a business has to pay...

19 posted on 11/11/2015 4:58:47 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: JoeFromSidney
But the idiots will probably sell it for scrap rather than sell it to the reloading market.

Of COURSE!

Why take a chance that one of them may end up indicting an innocent victim someday in ANOTHER attempt at this endeavor?

20 posted on 11/11/2015 5:02:13 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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