Posted on 04/30/2009 1:33:36 PM PDT by neverdem
Bill awaits Senate action to help trace pistols; opponents question cost, effectiveness
ALBANY — As the state Assembly passes a number of gun control measures, members of the newly Democratic state Senate joined gun control advocates to push for a proposal to mandate "microstamping" on semiautomatic pistols sold in the state. "This is a tough-on-crime, smart-on-crime proposal," said Sen. Eric Schneiderman, D-New York City, who is shepherding the measure through the Senate.
The plan, originally put forth by Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel, D-Great Neck, already passed in the lower house, where Democrats hold a 109-to-41 majority.
But with the Senate this year under a new 32-to-30 Democratic majority, advocates are hoping microstamping and other gun measures will pass there as well.
Microstamping is a process in which lasers put a distinctive mark on a weapon's firing pin. That mark is then etched into each cartridge casing when the gun is fired. Supporters including police and prosecutors say it could help them better match shell casings to a given weapon.
But the plan has opponents too, including representatives of gun manufacturers who question whether the stamps couldn't be tampered with by criminals.
Others say they fear it would add to the cost of weapons, although proponents say microstamping would add a few dollars at most.
Either way, some of the upstate-downstate divisions on this issue were on display at the Capitol on Wednesday.
Shortly after the news conference promoting microstamping, gun enthusiasts — including many from upstate — gathered at the Capitol to lobby lawmakers against enacting the proposal.
The Schneiderman-Schimel proposal would mandate microstamping for handguns made after Jan. 1, 2011.
California has passed a similar law that takes effect in 2010.
Rick Karlin can be reached at (518) 454-5758 or rkarlin@timesunion.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
How hard would it be to Dremmel the microstamp off the pin?
Or to obliterate it with a dab of hard silver solder...
About 1 or 2 dozen rounds through it has, IIRC, been proven to remove it. Just moron politicians placating idiot voters, nothing to see here, move along...
Or to replace the firing pin. Not hard at all, but I think you know that's not the point of the legislation.
Translation: "when my stupid idea doesn't accomplish anything demonstrably productive, I'll get even more meaningless laws passed so that stupid Obama-voters will vote me back into office."
The company pushing this has the sole patent for this technology.
Expect at least $100 cost (and price) additions for each firearm with this technology, for research, development, testing and manufacturing costs.
Not very, but there’s no need to do even that when the microstamp isn’t registered to you but to the person you stole it from. Or more likely, isn’t registered at all because it was originally stolen in another state without this requirement.
Being more creative, how hard would it be to pick up microstamped brass at a public range and drop it at the crime scene?
How about just replace the firing pin? They’re usually pretty common replacement parts for any firearm.
Or just buy a revolver.
anyone???
You could always just pick up your brass or use a revolver so the casings won’t eject until you want them to. It’s really a stupid idea if anyone just thinks about it. Then again, we’re talking about legislators.
File meet firing pin.
If I were inclined to preplanned criminal activity and I owned a weapon covered under this proposed law, you can bet I’d have the semiautomatic pistol equivalent of keeping two sets of books: multiple barrels, firing pins and extractors. One set for storage and one set for “business.”
Schimel and Schneiderman. I’m continually amazed, though no longer surprised, that the demographic that was nearly made extinct by state murder is always the one crying the loudest to make the next round of state murder easier.
Even if they "microstamped" spare parts, firing pins would have to be about the very easiest piece of any weapon for a shade-tree machinist to replicate, if not mass produce. There may be a few weapons with inertial pins or some other manufacturing complications, but I doubt it's that many...
Just use a revolver.
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