Lookit:
1. *IF* this law is a good idea (which it's not), then it obviously makes perfect sense to also make it illegal to alter or swap firing pins in any way - that just makes sense to make the law have its (supposed) intended effect - stamping brass at crime scenes for gun ID. In fact, I'd be surprised if the no-altering rule is NOT in the law already... in fact, if it's not already in there, then the legislators need to be horse-whipped for being plenary nincompoops, if they required this technology but made no attempt to stop alterations ("oh sure you can swap out firing pins and defeat the laws stated purpose; no problem there" - does that make sense?).
2. As mentioned the law is not going to work because criminals are just going to take a file and erase the machined imprinting relief from the firing pin face (regardless of whether the gun was purchased by them, borrowed, or stolen). No need to make a replacement pin, although that would work too. A simple file is all that is needed. As mentioned, criminals will have no qualms about violating the microstamping law (assuming filing away the microstamping is even illegal; see #1 above) when they are preparing for a felony (by definition, any crime where a firearm is used in furtherance of it is going to be a felony).
3. Does the law, or does it not, actually require the *chamber* to also imprint, in addition to the firing pin or breechface? If so, then you won't be buying any replacement barrels for your pistol out there, unless and until barrel makers want to add that cost of tooling to make the stamping barrels.
4. As mentioned, the actual hidden purpose is to cause some gun manufacturers to stop selling guns in CA, and to raise the cost of manufacture of the remaining guns, which the makers must pass on to the public - both done to reduce public gun ownership, to help limit the power of and control the sheeple.
5. On technical aspects: Does anyone in the machining/steel/engineering business know just *how much* such re-tooling will cost the manufacturers (and thus the public) in this modern CNC & Cad/Cam age? Because they are going to have to put the full serial # onto the pin - not just the make & model of the firearm - so every pin has to be different - is this going to be cost-prohibitive, as it seems to me it might be? And how do you even get a full serial # onto the tiny firing pin? I can see maybe on the breechface. Also, when a firing pin dents the primer, isn't it going to deform the primer (indent it) in such a way as to make super-tiny impressions unreadable - how you gonna get a messed-up 3-D indentation onto a microscope's plate, which requires a flat surface for reading, IINM.
6. In sum, this law is a disaster for the people's rights, and will do virutually nothing to nothing to help solve crimes (unfortunately).
sheeplesheeplesheepledealwithit