The National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearms industry, fully supports the Firearms Microstamping Evaluation and Study Act (H.R. 5667), which calls for federal study of the ill-conceived and flawed concept of firearms microstamping. NSSF is supporting this legislation because we have grave and serious concerns about this concept. We believe that a comprehensive study will add to the scientific body of evidence now available demonstrating that microstamping is an easily defeated, fundamentally flawed concept that holds the potential for pricing firearms out of the reach of the average American. The gun-control movement, lead by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the Brady Center, support legislation to mandate microstamping, knowing full well it is fundamentally and inherently flawed. These same anti-gun groups oppose studying microstamping because they fear that a study will reconfirm the results of earlier independent testing that conclusively established microstamping to be a flawed and unreliable concept.
Though some states have given credence to the independent studies that concluded microstamping should not be mandated, other states remain intent on pursuing this concept. A national study, building upon these earlier studies, is exactly what is needed to demonstrate why tax dollars should not be wasted on a flawed concept that is being pushed as a backdoor way to ban handguns. In the past, ballistic imaging (BI) was erroneously considered, like microstamping today, to be a panacea to solving crimes involving firearms. After it was adopted by New York and Maryland, the National Academy of Sciences conducted a study on BI technology that confirmed earlier testing showing a national BI database would be flawed and unworkable. While that NAS study was pending, states around the country declined calls from gun-control advocates pushing BI legislation. These states wanted to see the NAS study results before they acted.
The supporters of this bill in Congress, stalwart defenders of the Second Amendment, understand this political reality. That is why they are backing this study and in the process supporting members of the firearms industry, gun owners and law enforcement. The more than 6,000 members of the NSSF, including all major firearm and ammunition manufacturers, thank them for their efforts.
I am writing to add additional arguments in opposition to micro-stamping that i believe have been overlooked.
First , my background- I am a retired from the NYC Police Department where I worked for 23 years and held the rank of Police Officer, Detective, and Sergeant. I am currently full time employed in the field of Forensic Firearm Identification as well as a regular member of the Association of Firearm and Tool Mark Examiners (www.afte.org).
During my law enforcement career I have investigated shooting related crimes. A majority of these crimes are committed by career criminals and gangs engaging in unlawful activity. I have never had the opportunity to arrest a licensed gun owner for misuse of a firearm.
The focus of an investigation in an assault with a firearm is the shooter not the gun. In cases where the police find the gun, they still have to put that gun in the shooters hand at the time of the offense. Micro-stamping will not do that.
All legitimate, responsible gun owner’s purchase firearms from legitimate gun stores. Criminals do not purchase firearms by legitimate means. They have to obtain firearms and ammunition from illegitimate means(stolen or undocumented). Therefore the information that investigators will glean from micro stamping will not really give us any additional information to solve crime. This bill will create more work for state and municipal employees to maintain record keeping and to create databases of legitimate people as the criminals remain stealth.
It is my opinion based on my previously stated qualifications and as a law biding responsible gun owner that micro stamping on firearms will not be a useful tool in solving gun crime. ..
All I can add is bravo to Larry Keane and Gerard Petillo the new bread of freedom fighters. Thank You.