CA: Mayor, Police Chief Endorse Bullet-Identification Measure

Los Angeles Times ^ | August 10, 2006 | Jim Newton

[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.

[Al Gator]

They weren't "theories" old chap.

Here's one of the companies that deal in it:

NanoVia also dabbles in waveguides, inkjet nozzles and other markets. One intriguing application is the ballistic “NanoTag,” where lasers etch a gun’s serial number onto its firing pin. When the gun is fired, the pin imprints that serial number onto a bullet’s shell casing — giving police an easy way to identify what gun was used at a shooting.

Lizotte and Ohar, who say they are firearms hobbyists, add the NanoTag letters are only 20 microns tall. For just about every bullet on the market today, Ohar says, that leaves “a lot of room to put information in there.”

NanoVia is in a pilot program now with the California Department of Justice to test the NanoTags. Lizotte said preliminary results should be available by January.

[Cobra64]

Posted by Al Gator to Cobra64 On News/Activism 08/14/2006 10:05:02 AM EDT · 61 of 61 They weren't "theories" old chap.

Here's one of the companies that deal in it:

NanoVia also dabbles in waveguides, inkjet nozzles and other markets. One intriguing application is the ballistic “NanoTag,” where lasers etch a gun’s serial number onto its firing pin.

The firing pin can be replaced or the existing one can be removed, filed off and replaced in under two minutes.

When the gun is fired, the pin imprints that serial number onto a bullet’s shell casing — giving police an easy way to identify what gun was used at a shooting.

The firing pin does not strike the shell casing

Lizotte and Ohar, who say they are firearms hobbyists, add the NanoTag letters are only 20 microns tall. For just about every bullet on the market today, Ohar says, that leaves “a lot of room to put information in there.”

The fining pin does not strike the bullet. The bullet sits in the nose of the brass and is the projectile that causes damage to the target.

NanoVia is in a pilot program now with the California Department of Justice to test the NanoTags. Lizotte said preliminary results should be available by January.

People need to understand the basic fundementals of firearms and the components of a typical weapons' round.

There are four components to a cartridge.

1) Shell casing the shiny brass or nickel cylinder - that holds the following

2) Primer - ignites powder

3) Powder - the stuff that goes boom when ignited by the primer

4) Bullet - the thingy that travels down a barrel and spins due to the lands and grooves in the barrel - the bullet is the projectile.

The casing is not imprinted because the firing pin does not contact the casing. Firing pins can be replaced, or the s/n can be ground off.

People who pretend to be experts need to understand what they're taslking about, or use the correct terminology. Maybe spending 3 minutes reading a reloading guide might prevent people from embarassing themselves.

[Al Gator]

The article was written by a dim bulb who obviously does not know the components of a round.

I agree with you, most folks who have never reloaded don't know the first thing about a round.

But the point is, they do have the technology to etch on the head of a pin.

Which brings us back to my original point on that thread:

"Change the firing pin and make their good idea a bad joke."

[Cobra64]

"Change the firing pin and make their good idea a bad joke."

Yup.