Schwarzenegger Signs Bill Requiring Semi-Auto Casing Stamping

**dragonlibra** · October 15th, 2007, 02:52 AM

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed the nation's first law requiring semiautomatic pistols sold in the state to leave a unique imprint on bullets that are fired, giving police another way to try to link shootings to the criminals who carry them out.

The Crime Gun Identification Act, by Assemblyman Mike Feuer, D-Los Angeles, forces gun sellers by 2010 to use so-called microstamping technology to imprint characters that reveal a gun's make, model and serial number on bullet casings. It applies only to semiautomatic pistols sold in California.

"This is a really positive first step, and hopefully other states will follow California's lead," Richmond police Chief Chris Magnus said Sunday. "This is not the total answer for the challenge of solving some of these crimes. But each of these technologies can be a piece of a solution."

Magnus said the technology may help police trace guns to their sources - including people who buy guns for others - and connect multiple crimes where the same firearm is used.

Opponents of the measure, AB1471, said the technology was unreliable and could be countered by gun users, and they raised the prospect of criminals dropping shell casings from other weapons at a crime scene to confuse police.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl.../BAKQSPVS9.DTL

Another stupid feel-good gun control measure. Only doofus criminals will be caught by this and smarter ones may have the cops knocking on doors of law-abiding gun owners. Just pick up a few casings at the gun range and scatter them at the crime scene.

**XD45** · October 15th, 2007, 03:19 AM

wow this is just about as dumb as you can get. This will lead to more false convictions and other gun crimes than anything else.

i dont see how a single conviction could be made by this, you go to the range and fire hundreds of rounds, and those rounds are accessible to anyone. Not to mention reloaded brass, your gonna be buying thousands of rounds of ammo with other peoples guns make, model and serial number, so basically when someone steals a gun, they buy bags of brass of that caliber, look for the piece that is the same make as their gun and boom they have a S/N of the same model gun of theirs that will come back clean if run so they know what to make it if they try to alter the old one...

I could care less if they know the brass came from my gun, but i dont want criminals to have access to ammo with my guns serial # and everything attached to just because i missed a piece of brass at the range

kind of interested in the technology though, anyone know how it works?

**D-FENS** · October 15th, 2007, 06:30 AM

http://www.pafoa.org/forum/national-...ll-passed.html

**RocketFoot** · October 15th, 2007, 07:58 AM

I used to think Arnie was cool...now I wish the Predator would have killed him!

**kimbercdp** · October 15th, 2007, 08:07 AM

California needs that big earthquake that seperatates it from the rest of the continent and puts it in the ocean.

**Atomic Dog** · October 15th, 2007, 09:27 AM

The big picture of this is:

Makers will either have to perfect this technology for one single state, introduce the technology as an option accross the board (opening this legislation to everyone), or just won't sell firearms in California (something the gov't there would LOVE)

It's lose, lose, lose situation no matter what. The only hope is that it gets overturned soon.

**ar15jules** · October 15th, 2007, 10:25 AM

I have several Ruger firearms. This is now standard in ALL of there pistol boxes. Here is a direct quote from a manual.

"WHY ARE WE INCLUDING A FIRED CARTRIDGE CASE WITH EVERY RUGER PISTOL AND REVOLVER"

Certain states and jurisdictions now require that all newly manufactured pistols and revolvers must be accompanied by a cartridge case, which has been test fired from that gun at the factory. The case must be placed in a sealed container bearing certain information concerning this test cartridge.

At the time of retail sale in those jurisdictions, firearms dealers must forward such test cartridge to a designated destination such as their state police laboraotory. blah blah blah.

It then goes on to say that they include one in every box so that jurisdictions where this applies, can comply with their laws. I have a few pistols with an envelope that contain spent cartridges.

I heard once from a very reputable source that EXTRACTION marks and firing pin marks on spent casings are a better indicator of the firearm used as opposed to rifling marks on a slug as is often the case in movies.

Jules

**Zef_66** · October 15th, 2007, 10:35 AM

Originally Posted by ar15jules

I heard once from a very reputable source that EXTRACTION marks and firing pin marks on spent casings are a better indicator of the firearm used as opposed to rifling marks on a slug as is often the case in movies.

I believe the law is aimed more at identifying casings found at a scene of a crime to a random gun. Not necessarily identifying casings to a particular gun.

I believe the authorities think that with this microstamping, they will be able to pick up a spent shell casing, look at the mark the firing pin left, read Ruger .44, SN215478 and search to find out the gun was bought by Joe Schmo of LA.