There was a proposal about a year ago about putting a s/n on the actual bullet. That concept is even more lame.
Politicians are such morons. They don't know the difference between a cartridge and a bullet.
Posted on 08/10/2006 9:23:55 AM PDT by calcowgirl
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Police Chief William J. Bratton added their support Wednesday to a bill requiring gun manufacturers to build handguns that would stamp bullet casings with serial numbers — an innovation intended to speed investigations by making it easier to link bullets to the weapons that fired them.
The bill, introduced by Assemblyman Paul Koretz (D-West Hollywood), would only affect the manufacture of new semiautomatic handguns, but Bratton and others said it would aid officers in investigating gun violence.
Speaking to reporters at a City Hall news conference, Villaraigosa added his "support for this strong public safety measure."
Proponents say the etching technology would imprint each gun's serial number on bullet casings when the firing pin of the weapon struck the cartridge. They argue that such microscopic imprinting could not be easily tampered with because other identifying marks would reveal what gun fired the bullet.
By cross-checking bullet casings with existing state databases on gun purchases, authorities say they could quickly figure out what gun had fired the bullets recovered from a crime scene.
Opponents complain that the bill would do little to deter criminals, and even Bratton acknowledged that only a small percentage of Los Angeles gun crime is caused by criminals using properly registered weapons.
(snip)
As introduced, the legislation (AB 352) would affect only new semiautomatic handguns. Asked why it did not cover other handguns, neither Villaraigosa nor Koretz could answer, and Bratton said he had asked the same question.
A staff member interjected that authors had elected to focus on semiautomatics because they eject shells while revolvers do not.
As a result, shootings with semiautomatics more often result in shells left behind for police to investigate.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Don't a few states already do this? And, how many crimes have the databases solved?
I think most Freepers know the answer to the latter questions, and most DUnces wouldn't care what the answer is as long as they feel good about doing it.
Easy. Takes about 30 seconds.
To answer your questions, don't know, and don't know. As I have already been spanked, I will now slink away and hide my shame.
I had assumed - stupid me - that if you had the firearm, you could put a round through it, take the ballistics off the slug, and match with the database - which would have the serial number of the firearm tagged to the benchmark ballistics.
Exposing yet more ignorance here - does the ammo make that much difference to the ballistics?
So criminals turn to revolvers as the weapon of choice. Or pick up their spent casings. Or change the firing pin.
With micro technology, we can, in fact and in deed, print the weapon's FULL s/n, ON THE HEAD OF A PIN.
This is just your typical Kalifornistan Bravo Sierra. Why patriots there haven't done something more... drastic... to some of these folks is a bit beyond me.
"What Would Patrick Henry Do?"
Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!
Anyone who is capable of field stripping a semi-automatic is capable of changing the barrel, the firing pin and the extractor. A Colt 1911 can have all of these changes made in approximately 5 minutes, if you are clumsy.
Fear a Government that fears your guns!
Weps4Ret
Placing a serial number on the end of a firing pin, and expecting it to leave a readable s/n on a primer when the trigger is pulled is a pretty far stretch.
Figure that a firing pin for a rifle/shotgun is about 1/8", so to fit the s/n on there it would be very small to begin with. Highly unlikely that, due to the close spacing of the letters, it would be very readable.
I imagine that the s/n would become 'worn' and the edges of the s/n 'rounded' very easily, leaving an even worse impression. Factor in that there is an explosion taking place within that primer could make things worse.
Most importantly, a serial number on a firing pin could be easily filed off. Furthermore, criminals don't register weapons or acquire them legally anyways so this would make no difference.
I'm a metallurgist, but I've never done forensic work before. There is a chance that the primer could be polished, etched, and something discernable detected using a metallurgical microscope or an SEM.
Likely that something published in popular mechanics, a fun read but hardly a worthy scientific journal, would be the results of something conducted in a lab. I.e. under ideal testing conditions.
Given all the variables I listed that occur when firing a gun, I think that this is a far stretch.
A good question is what is the thickness of the metal in the primer? Also, are they Al or steel??
There was a proposal about a year ago about putting a s/n on the actual bullet. That concept is even more lame.
Politicians are such morons. They don't know the difference between a cartridge and a bullet.
The bottom line is that this is another lame law being passed that only has an effect on law-abiding citizens. Criminals don't obey the law, hence the title.
I remember the idea of putting them on a bullet. Though its still a lame idea, in reality it almost sounds more feasible than the firing pin idea with regards to being able to read it. Assuming its stamped on the bottom.
How you go about creating that boon-doggle of a 'bullet registry' is well beyond me. When it comes to spending tax-payer money though, there's a way!
My cousin's husband is a forensic biologist in Dallas. I'm curious to call and ask him how effective 'rifling patterns' on bullets are to matching them to a firearm. Also whether or not it would stand up in court.
Is it just me, or does the world seem to be ripe with really bad ideas?
Cheer up kid. It's going to get worse for you youngsters (dontcha hate that word?).
As for putting s/n on bullets... just cast your own. I did in college back in the 1970s.
Bottom line, the government should leave us alone. That's why I'm a Reagan Republican. Too bad no politician today can measure up to Ronnie.
Next butcher knives & baseball bats will have serial numbers etched on them too.
Send that to the LA Times.
Your "ballistic imaging" would be DOA after the first 15-100 rounds through it changed the characteristics of it or a metal bore brush was run through it a few times. In other words, impossible to maintain, period.
Yes, so I have been told. Too much TV in my misspent youth.
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