National Crime Gun Identification Act
Gun Microstamping: A New Tool For Investigators
By Congressman Xavier Becerra
California's 31st Congressional District
A startling fact: nearly 40 percent of all homicides nationwide go unsolved each year.
On February 7, in an effort to improve this gravely disappointing statistic, I introduced the National Crime Gun Identification Act of 2008 in the House of Representatives. Senator Edward Kennedy (MA) introduced an identical companion bill in the Senate the same day.
| Our legislation would give investigators of gun crimes an important new tool to pursue and prosecute criminals by requiring that all semiautomatic pistols sold after January 1, 2010, be equipped with microstamped identifiers. Microstamping is the next generation in ballistics technology that gives police more precise investigative leads to pursue suspects. Internal surfaces of the gun etch tiny characters on every fired bullet cartridge so that officers can identify the make, model and serial number of the gun from which it was fired. |
Click to enlarge |
When a gun crime occurs, bullet cartridges are often one of the very few pieces of physical evidence left behind. With this new technology, a single microstamped cartridge recovered at a crime scene can lead police to the gun – and the criminal that fired it.
Gun microstamping is a simple and effective technology that promises to save lives and keep violent criminals off the streets. It is inexpensive for gun manufacturers to implement, does not infringe on personal ownership rights, and provides a powerful investigative tool to our law enforcement officers.
I was pleased to see California once again leading the way by enacting nearly-identical legislation this past October. Now it’s time to enact this legislation on the federal level. We owe it to the victims of gun crimes to give investigators every lead possible.
Sincerely,
XAVIER BECERRA
Member of Congress