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Gun Law Expert Praises California Police for Reversing Position on Microstamping Law
Washington, DC
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Gun rights expert John M. Snyder today praised the California Police Chiefs Association (CPCA) for reversing its support for a state mandatory microstamping law and calling instead for an in-depth study of the technology before it is implemented in the Golden State.
"It takes real character to recognize publicly an error in judgment and to take steps in an attempt to correct the error," said Snyder. "CPCA deserves commendation for this."
A former National Rifle Association magazine editor, Snyder is Public Affairs Director of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) and board member of the National Association of Chiefs of Police.
Firearms microstamping is the process by which firearms manufacturers would have to micro-laser a gun's make, model and serial number on two distinct parts of each gun, including the firing pin, so that in theory the information would be imprinted on the cartridge casing when the pistol is fired.
In 2007, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law despite CCRKBA objection a requirement that new semiautomatic handguns in California include an innovative firing pin that stamps microscopic characters onto cartridge cases. It was to take effect Friday, New Year's Day. It was intended to ensure that every bullet casing at a crime scene has a license number on it, traceable to a statewide gun database
In her recent letter to California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown, CPCA Acting President Susan E. Manheimer wrote, "There are too many unanswered questions with microstamping in its current iteration" and raised concerns that "statements about the capabilities of microstamping may have been technologically premature."
Manheimer wrote also that, "We support further research of microstamping in light of new information that has surfaced since California passage of the legislation. Publicly available, peer-reviewed studies conducted by independent research organizations conclude that the technology does not function reliably and that criminals can remove the markings easily in mere seconds. We believe that these findings require examination prior to implementation." CPCA expressed concerns over implementing the technology during a very difficult budget environment and the negative impact on law enforcement budgets which already are under significant pressure.
In 2007, CCRKBA opposed the microstamping proposal, charging that, "This questionable and unproven technology is just another attempt to limit access to affordable handguns by gun control extremists in the state legislature." CPCA supported the proposal.
CCRKBA noted that, "Most firearms used by criminals are stolen, and criminals don't register stolen guns. In fact, criminals are exempt from firearm registration by a U.S. Supreme Court decision, U.S. v. Haynes, 1968. In addition to that, the technology easily is defeated in a number of ways: the etching can be marred or ground out, brass picked up at a firing range can be reloaded and used, steel cased ammunition won't take the imprint, etc."
"It takes real character to recognize publicly an error in judgment and to take steps in an attempt to correct the error," said Snyder. "CPCA deserves commendation for this."
A former National Rifle Association magazine editor, Snyder is Public Affairs Director of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) and board member of the National Association of Chiefs of Police.
Firearms microstamping is the process by which firearms manufacturers would have to micro-laser a gun's make, model and serial number on two distinct parts of each gun, including the firing pin, so that in theory the information would be imprinted on the cartridge casing when the pistol is fired.
In 2007, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law despite CCRKBA objection a requirement that new semiautomatic handguns in California include an innovative firing pin that stamps microscopic characters onto cartridge cases. It was to take effect Friday, New Year's Day. It was intended to ensure that every bullet casing at a crime scene has a license number on it, traceable to a statewide gun database
In her recent letter to California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown, CPCA Acting President Susan E. Manheimer wrote, "There are too many unanswered questions with microstamping in its current iteration" and raised concerns that "statements about the capabilities of microstamping may have been technologically premature."
Manheimer wrote also that, "We support further research of microstamping in light of new information that has surfaced since California passage of the legislation. Publicly available, peer-reviewed studies conducted by independent research organizations conclude that the technology does not function reliably and that criminals can remove the markings easily in mere seconds. We believe that these findings require examination prior to implementation." CPCA expressed concerns over implementing the technology during a very difficult budget environment and the negative impact on law enforcement budgets which already are under significant pressure.
In 2007, CCRKBA opposed the microstamping proposal, charging that, "This questionable and unproven technology is just another attempt to limit access to affordable handguns by gun control extremists in the state legislature." CPCA supported the proposal.
CCRKBA noted that, "Most firearms used by criminals are stolen, and criminals don't register stolen guns. In fact, criminals are exempt from firearm registration by a U.S. Supreme Court decision, U.S. v. Haynes, 1968. In addition to that, the technology easily is defeated in a number of ways: the etching can be marred or ground out, brass picked up at a firing range can be reloaded and used, steel cased ammunition won't take the imprint, etc."
John M. Snyder
Telum Associates, LLC
Arlington, VA
202-239-8005
