[Walter Strong]

Lets say I buy a new handgun, a revolver, in a few years after all this ballistic fingerprinting business is all in place and working. And lets say I shoot the dirty ******** that's turning over my garbage can each Thursday morning just before the garbage truck arrives. I quickly realize the error of my ways and decide I've got to do something about the markings my barrel will leave on the bullet they are sure to sample from my gun. So, I call up the good folk at LBT and order some of them bullets with the grit in them that are supposed to smoothe out my bore, head to the range and fire about a dozen of them, and head home confident that I've altered the inner surface of my barrel sufficiently to fool them feds. Am I engaging in some kind of grand self-delusion here, or is this within the realm of possibility? (PS, no, I'm not planning on commiting a crime!)

 

[exflatlander]

I'll second that delusion with this one,

why not just have a second barrel fitted for you 1911, 9mm whatever.

If the need arises, simply switch to the unfired barrel.

 

[Walter Strong]

Well, that's why I specified a revolver. When they come asking for my gun what am I going to say, "Sorry fellas, but its in the shop getting the barrel changed"?!! What I was asking essentially was whether or not shooting those "bore smoothing bullets" could alter the barrel enough to keep the cops from making a good match. If that's possible then this whole "ballistic fingerprinting" thing is a bunch of hogwash!

 

[kdub]

As I understand from watching the "60 Minutes" segment on TV, our NRA spokesman, Wayne LaPerrier (sp) indicated the imprinting on a bullet from a brand new barrel is quite different than one that has had several hundred bullets shot through it. I'd say the barrel lapping, especially if you used the really aggresive grits, would certainly alter the engraving marks of the rifled bore.

The thing that would help you also, is the firing pin leaves a characteristic marking on the primer cup, plus bolt face markings. Semi-auto's will have a problem in this regard, unless you also alter the firing pin and bolt face. Since you have a revolver that retains the spent brass instead of broadcasting it over the street area, there would be no way to trace the brass - unless you happened to reload and dumped the stuff at your feet! You wouldn't do that, would you?

 

[exflatlander]

How about a shotgun?

I can't think of anyway of fingerprinting an ounce or two of heavy shot.

 

[Contender]

Simply have every single part of a firearm registered and serial numbered.

When you need to change a part you apply to the BATF and fill out the proper "part replacement form" with the old and new serial numbers of the parts you are going to change. Only a FFL licensed gunsmith could do the work. All old non-serial numbered parts on older guns could only be replaced with new serial numbered type parts.

Non-Compliance or unauthorized parts changing will be a Federal Crime punishable by firing squad.

All satire/sarcasm aside, you see where this is going don't you? It's a Government Bureaucrat's dream.




Regards

 

[kciH]

JB bore paste will signifigantly change the characteristics of a barrel if used aggresivley/improperly. "Ballistic Fingerprinting" is a code word for registration of all firearms. We need look no further than that.

 

[Gunnut45/454]

Pending Legislation?

Walter Strong
I haven't heard of any pending Legislation being proposed ?
Maybe I've missed something but I thought this was a dead horse? Not feasable, to expensive-Republicains don't care about doing it.

 

[Walter Strong]

California, totally dominated by Democrats, is turning its thumbs down FOR NOW because of the cost and technical difficulties, but, you can bet that as soon as the economy revs back up and the tax dollars start flowing back into the state's coffers at a faster rate there'll be another push to set it up. I think there are a couple of east coast states that're pushing ahead with an attempt to implement it and if a couple get it set up then the gun grabbers will crank up a bit media campaign to get it going in other states. Its sorta like a cancer, it starts small and spreads. On the federal level its a dead duck as long as the Republicans are in charge of the white house and the congress. BUT, if Bush loses the next election, a very real possibility, then we'll have to see how many liberal and middle of the road Republican congressmen will sell us out to gain a nice piece of port for their district or state.

 

[Contender]

Now it's a "regional" proposal

Gun sales may require ‘fingerprints’




Gregory B. Hladky, Capitol Bureau Chief February 26, 2003




HARTFORD — Connecticut should join other Eastern states to create a regional "ballistic fingerprinting" system that could track down handguns used in crimes, a bipartisan group of state lawmakers said Tuesday.
The proposal would require that when a new handgun is sold in Connecticut or other participating states a spent bullet and shell casing from that weapon be sent to a central ballistic fingerprinting data bank.

If the weapon were later used in a crime, police could check the crime scene bullet or shell casing against those listed in the data bank to trace the original owner of the handgun. Each firearm leaves its own characteristic marks on the bullet and the shell.

The state Senate’s top Democrat, Kevin B. Sullivan of West Hartford, said Massachusetts is considering similar legislation and New York and Maryland already have such laws on the books.

State Sen. William H. Nickerson, R-Greenwich, said that "it is not a radical new idea — the (federal) Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms has been doing this for years."

But Robert Crook, spokesman for the Coalition of Connecticut Sportsmen, derided the concept as "a bad thing. . . . It wastes money and doesn’t do anything" to prevent crime.

Crook claimed that "there has not been one single prosecution" as a result of the ballistic finger-printing databanks that have been established in Maryland and New York in recent years. He also warned that it is extremely easy to alter the so-called ballistic finger-print that a particular handgun leaves on a bullet and its shell casing.

According to Crook, the ATF uses ballistic fingerprinting only for firearms that have already been used in crimes and could be used again, and for police weapons.

State Rep. Michael Lawlor, an East Haven Democrat who is co-chairman of the legislature’s Judiciary Committee, said the system would rely on proven technology that’s already in use in several states.

"It’s a technology that has been demonstrated to be effective," said Lawlor, who added that no such system is foolproof. Lawlor said complaints about ballistic fingerprinting not being perfect could apply to other anti-crime technologies.

"You could wear gloves (at the scene of a crime) and not leave fingerprints, but that’s no reason not to collect fingerprints," Lawlor said.

According to Lawlor, the cost of running a ballistic fingerprint database could be as high as $2-$3 per handgun. He said there are about 30,000 new handguns sold each year in Connecticut. If Connecticut wasn’t able to join in a regional system, the state might have to spend $1 million for the equipment needed for such a database.

But Sullivan said the hope is that costs would be reduced by creating a regional system that could eventually be expanded to a nationwide ballistic fingerprinting database. Sullivan estimated that creation of a regional system would be at least two years in the future.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gregory B. Hladky can be contacted at [email protected], or (860) 524-0719.

©New Haven Register 2003

 

[exflatlander]

Massholechusetts already has a number of laws on the books making it difficult for us law abiding citizens (luckily I escaped to NH last year).

To buy a handgun in Mass you have to get a CC permit - which is no easy deal if you live in/near any of the bigger cities or near one of the many liberal hotbeds.

If you can get the permit, most towns slap their own "Target and Hunting use Only" restrictions on it - which basically means they can take it away if something happens to you and you have a loaded weapon on you.

Some cities (Boston) went as far as to further restrict you from carrying high capacity handguns at one time (I think it was 8 rounds).

Now, thanks in part to the in-state sell-out Smith and Wesson, there is a list of guns that you can buy and can't buy.

The state put in a law that requires each individual manufacturer to make there guns along the states guidelines for trigger pull, safeties and so on, and the manufactures has to apply to the state with this info before they can sell the guns here.

Kahr arms is one I know of the top of my head that you cannot buy in Mass - even though they are made here.

Smith (of course) sells several models that meet the requirements - not a confluct of interest here.

I am no expert and don't know all of the facts, if anyone wants more info - check out www.fsguns.com

 

[Gunnut45/454]

This is exactly why it doesn't work- they don't proscute because its no good as evidence!! And legally own guns don't commit a majority of the crimes! How dumb these people are.

"Crook claimed that "there has not been one single prosecution" as a result of the ballistic finger-printing databanks that have been established in Maryland and New York in recent years. He also warned that it is extremely easy to alter the so-called ballistic finger-print that a particular handgun leaves on a bullet and its shell casing."

I knew of the few states back east that had this in place-figured Kalifornia would try to instute it. The only way is to fight it if it comes up in the legstlatures when it does show it for the waste of money it is. It don't work!!!