Posted on 05/16/2005 9:51:58 PM PDT by calcowgirl
STOCKTON - Could a number help police solve crimes and deter criminals?
Several weeks ago, Sen. Joe Dunn, D-Garden Grove, unveiled a bill proposing the serialization of all ammunition sold in California starting in July 2007.
The legislation, supported by California Attorney General Bill Lockyer and Sen. Don Perata, D-Oakland, is being hailed by supporters as a cost-effective way to prevent crimes and help law enforcement do its job. Opponents say the bill is rife with problems and will only increase costs to consumers and ammunition manufacturers.
The proposal would require vendors to sell ammunition with an identification number zapped on the bullet and casing, and buyers would have to register their purchase with the Office of the Attorney General. The intent is to aid police with investigations into gun crimes by tracing the number €" etched with a laser " to the buyer.
"This would help law enforcement identify and convict violent criminals and murderers by bringing DNA-type technology to the identifying of ammunition," said Jim Stevens, spokesman for Dunn.
Almost 2,400 people were murdered in California in 2003, and two-thirds of them were with guns, according to Griffin Dix, president of the California chapter of the Million Mom March, a national survivors-rights organization. But 45 percent of those cases are unsolved, according to Department of Justice statistics. In San Joaquin County, about 36 percent of homicide cases weren't solved in 2003.
The reason is that there often "isn't enough evidence to go on," said Dix, who lost his 15-year-old son to an unintentional shooting 11 years ago. "We think the bill would work to prevent gun violence and have a preventive effect by putting criminals in jail and keeping them there."
Stockton police said they weren't familiar with the bill, which will go to the Senate floor within a month. But some expressed doubt that a bullet identification system would be effective because many seasoned criminals pick up shell casings after a shooting to avoid leaving evidence.
"Any reasonable effort is appreciated, but it wouldn't take long before criminals figured out how to circumvent it," Stockton Police Chief Mark Herder said.
That's the same doubt the gun lobby has expressed, arguing that the bill, known as SB357, would strengthen the already burgeoning black market for guns.
"The notion that criminals will walk into a store and put down their identification and give their name is laughable," said Lawrence Keane, general counsel for the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute.
About 80 percent of crimes in the United States are committed with guns acquired through family or friends, stolen or bought on the black market, Keane said.
Prices also would be affected because serialization of the 8 billion cartridges that are produced each year would take significantly longer, Keane said.
"It (serialization) would take approximately three weeks to do what is now done in one day," he said, adding that the cartridges would take more time to produce, causing the price to jump to several dollars per cartridge.
Proponents say a half cent would be added to the cost of each bullet.
It also would cost about $50 for a shop owner to enter everyone who purchases ammunition into a Department of Justice database.
The measure has been publicly supported by numerous law enforcement officials, including Sacramento County Sheriff Lou Blanas and Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca.
There are hurdles along the way €" from the appropriations committee, where the bill is now, to the Senate floor, where supporters hope it arrives in a month.
Dix says he hopes California's track record of being the first state to ban Saturday night specials, short-barreled guns lacking safety features and assault weapons will bolster the bill's chance of success.
"We are not interested in taking people's guns away but in closing down the illegal gun market," Dix said. "It's much too easy for someone to get a gun."
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
What's next--serialize shot (00 buckshot down to #7½ or #8 shot)??
Since when has death stopped Democrat voters in the past.
Time to start handloading in the PRK
Damn glad I don't live in the PRK anymore.
Dont be a Doofus.
I bet two thirds of the murders were done by gang members too....like in Los Angeles County.
Joe Dung AGAIN?
Does this man have anything better to do? Like his stupid idea for reparations wasn't enough.
>>Joe Dung AGAIN?
>>Does this man have anything better to do? Like his stupid idea for reparations wasn't enough.
And this, too:!
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1404457/posts
CA: Dunn blocks Morrow's anti-gay-marriage bill
"In San Joaquin County, about 36 percent of homicide cases weren't solved in 2003. "
Have they tried looking in Mexico??
"The entreprenure in me will crank up his reloading press and ship ammo into CA from my website... and CA can suck wind.
"
Under their stupid law, possession of unmarked bullets is a felony. Shipping them into PRK is also a felony.
The good thing about the "shipping into CA is a felony" thing, is that the Feds regulate interstate commerce - therefore CA can suck wind.
Nope. If a person causes importation then they have violated the state's law. The state can extradite the person from where ever they are for prosecution in PRK courts.
Luv `em. Keeps the `lil busybodies . . . well, busy. And out of my hair.
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