AB 352 Defines As "Unsafe" Any Semi-Automatic Pistol Not MicrostampedCalifornians Take Action
Now California’s legislature is considering requiring all new handguns beginning in January 2007 to micro-imprint to shell casings when fired the make, model and serial number of the firearm. SAAMI opposes this "microstamping" legislation. The concept is based on a faulty assumption that it will be effective in reducing the criminal misuse of firearms. Among the many reasons why microstamping is a bad idea is that criminals can simply file away the laser-engraved information, defeating its effectiveness. Criminals could acquire spent cases from a shooting range and leave them for police to find at a crime scene. Also, normal usage and cleaning by law-abiding gun owners can wear away the laser engravings. Clearly, microstamping is not a reliable crime-prevention tool. The economic impact on law enforcement, military, civilians and the industry, and the fact that microstamping is a sole-source technology that the legislature should not mandate before a thorough objective and independent study is undertaken are more reasons why SAAMI is opposed to this legislation. Law Enforcement Does Not Support This BillModoc County's Sheriff Bruce Mix and District Attorney Jordan Funk state that this legislation will "diminish the freedoms of law-abiding citizens ... and will unnecessarily complicate and hinder proven crime-solving strategies". Randy Perry, legislative advocate for The Peace Officers Research Association of California (PORAC) representing 58,600 peace officers and 710 local peace officer associations, feels that "bypassing this law by simply replacing the firing pin would be too simple and would not merit the additional cost to firearms that microstamping would cause." James J. Fotis, Executive Director of The Law Enforcement Alliance of America, states that no independent studies have been done to determine if microstamping is practical. ". . . decades of forensic science with firearms clearly demonstrates that the marks left on bullets by the internal parts of a firearm change dramatically with normal wear." Michael S. Carona, Sheriff-Coroner of Orange County, agrees that it would be great to trace handguns and spent bullets used in a crime back to the criminal but "this simply isn’t possible in an uncontrolled environment. "I cannot see any benefit other than the simple act of symbolism in the passage of AB 352." The California Rifle & Pistol Association is urging California sheriffs to oppose firearms microstamping. Besides inadequate testing and research of this technology, the "proposed legislation would place an unrealistic and inappropriate burden on lawful firearms buyers and the manufacturers of the firearms that they purchase." Industry Voices Opposition to AB 352Assemblymember Ray Haynes Says Legislature Is "Missing The Target Again On Crime" SAAMI's letter to the California legislature states that microstamping will not reduce crime and all the reasons why, including the fact that criminals can easily defeat the technology, as with "ballistic imaging," by simply filing away the laser engraving and that this unproven technology needs to be independently and objectively tested before it is considered in the legislature. Take Action Now.A vote on this bill is expected soon.
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