California screwed as Bill 357 & 352 march on

shield20

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Old topic - new article.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,164550,00.html

Lawmakers Consider Stamps on Bullets
Tuesday, August 02, 2005

LOS ANGELES — Lawmakers in California now have two bills on the table that could aid in the search for gun-firing assailants.

Forensics investigators currently have the ability to match the unique signature on every bullet to the gun it was fired from. The problem then becomes, for detectives and law enforcement, finding the gun itself and the person who fired it.

California Senate Bill 357 and its sister bill Assembly Bill 352 would have all new guns stamp an I.D. number on shell casings as they fire, and require every semi-automatic handgun sold after Jan. 1, 2009, to be equipped with the new microstamping technology that assigns traceable serial numbers to individual bullets.

According to these proposals, any semi-automatic not on California's Section 12131 roster —the list of weapons that do not possess the ability to create microstamps — will be defined as an "unsafe" handgun.

California state Assemblyman Paul Koretz (search), D-West Hollywood, is one of the bill's authors.

"Imagine how much easier it would be, in the case of my bill microstamping, if there was just a number and you call it into a database and you know exactly who it is in five or 10 minutes," Koretz said.

Critics argue the laws will punish law-abiding citizens and sportsmen by raising costs. Those in the gun and ammo manufacturing business add that they're tired of bearing the brunt of gun crime and accuse lawmakers of targeting their livelihood.

"I will stop selling ammo the day after. So if that's what the lawmakers want, is that guys like me to get out of the ammunition business, then all they have to do is tell me I have to spend 15, 20 minutes to paperwork a $2 box of ammo and I'm out," says Ted Szajer, owner of L.A. Guns.

Opponents insist these laws are just anti-gun politics that penalize law-abiding citizens who do not abuse guns.

Sam Paredes, the Executive Director of the organization Gun Owners of California (search), said recreational use will be adversely affected.

"Small .22 caliber ammunition — that people use to play with and for target practice — the cost of that will be $50, $60, $70 a box if this bill were to go into effect. That isn't going to solve any crimes," he said.

But members of law enforcement and lawmakers and who support the bills call traceable bullets an obvious next step in connecting criminals to their crimes.

The bill proposed by Attorney General Bill Lockyer (search) and supported by the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence has already passed the Assembly and one Senate panel. It is up for further review in August.

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No doubt, California is screwed. Read both these bills, which may both pass - and that will be it for handgun owners.

The one (357) requires all handgun cartridges, and bullets (for reload) in possession outside of someone's dwelling to be serialized. It requires a complete registration process of all transactions from manufacturer to the end user. It allows NO transfer of serialized ammo w/o being a 'licensed seller'. It allows NO possession of unserialized ammo 'in public places' (any place from your dwelling doorway out.) It allows fees to be collected from end users (.005 /rnd) and from sellers ($50 /yr).

The other (352) states: Existing law requires the submission of handguns by manufacturers for determining if the handguns are unsafe, as specified. This bill would provide that, commencing on January 1, 2007, no
handgun may be submitted for that testing unless the handgun is designed and equipped with a microscopic array of characters, that identify the make, model, and serial number of the pistol, etched into the interior surface or internal working parts of the pistol, and which are transferred by imprinting on each cartridge case when
the firearm is fired.

Add this along with any new gun submitted for testing needing a loaded chamber indicator and magazine disconnect safety (in 2006)


As of 2007 - it is pretty much over for legal handgun ownership in California. I do not think there is any way manufacturers of ammo or pistols will bother with such bull, nor will ammo 'sellers'. Just not worth it.

I would not expect them to either. The people of Ca get what they voted for - only when criminals with their unregistered guns and unregistered ammo start running rampant over the unarmed public; or when fired police brass is picked up from ranges by some low-life to be left at crime scenes; or when cops can't buy new semi-autos OR AMMO, will all this anti-gun bull be seen for what it is.
 
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Since I cannot imagine that any manufacturer would tool up to put serial numbers inside the chamber of a barrel (and I am not certain it would even be safe to have other than a smooth surface for the casing to expand against during firing), this appears to be simply a round-about way of banning semi-automatic handguns (and ultimately rifles and shotguns?) in California.

The next step will come when they demand the same in each chamber of a revolver's cylinder, then the chamber of bolt-action and lever-action rifles, etc., etc.
 
I am shocked :eek: , I know I shouldn't be, but I am.
These anti-gun people are crazy.
Lets start making car tires with serial numbers on the tread so we know who owned the tire that was on that car that sped away from the crime scene.
Lets start putting microscopic chips in ink pen ink so we know who purchased the ink pen that wrote the ransom note or bad check.
What's next all guns need to have a tracking chip in them so the police can see which guns were in the area when the shots were fired and where that gun is now and who owns it.
Wow, that one is actually a good idea for the anti-gun groups. I hope they don't read this.
Seriously this is absolutely crazy.

How does this help police find the shooter who used a stolen gun?
When will we know the outcome of this decision?
 
My guess is this microstamping will be made by way of the tip of the firing pin on the primer.

So for the price of a spare (unserialized) firing pin and a box of ammo from out of state, most enterprising criminals can buy reasonable doubt in CA.
 
shoot - could you get the make, model and serial number on the end of a firing pin??? That would be T I N Y!!
 
Rather that the usual chest pounding and whinging, may I suggest that EVERYONE write a letter to Rem, Olin, PMC, Federal etc nicely setting forth the following:

Dear>>>>>>

Please be advised that in the event California passes legislation mandating serial numbers on ammuntion, and in the further event that your company either complies with that requirement or, alternatively, sells any exempt ammunition to law enforcement in California, then I will boycott all of your products. Please note that last year I purchased over $XXXX of your products.

In addition, a public statement from you that you will cease all ammuntion sales in California in the event this legislation is passed will be welcomed by the shooting community

Or something to that effect..in other words, CA need to be Barretted and only we can make that come to pass.

WildhaveatemboysAlaska
 
So for the price of a spare (unserialized) firing pin and a box of ammo from out of state, most enterprising criminals can buy reasonable doubt in CA.

Or a file.

Do remember, California is one of the larger economies in the world. Not everyone is going to pack up and leave the state. There will be some that see an open market, and capitalize on it.
 
Not everyone is going to pack up and leave the state. There will be some that see an open market, and capitalize on it.

Bet if they got enough flack from shooters ev erywhere else they would do somehting about it...

Real easy to flood the ammo companies with letters

WildbackofthebusAlaska
 
Oh, I don't doubt that most of the big ones would. But the people thinking that the gov't will change their policy, because they will have no guns or ammo, I believe are wrong.
 
Oh, I don't doubt that most of the big ones would. But the people thinking that the gov't will change their policy, because they will have no guns or ammo, I believe are wrong.

Exactly. The true purpose of this type of legislation is to remove guns from the general population. A reduction in the amount of guns or ammunition in CA or even a complete lack of such will encourage rather than discourage the gun ban crowd.

Although cutting off supply to L.E. would make a point, I doubt they would arrest each other for illegal ammunition or guns.
 
The whole thing is stupid. There is no technology that can currently be used to implement what these bills demand. None. It is an impossibility.
Further, enforcement will be an impossibility. How many guns are there already in CA? Will the state make sure every one of them is retrofitted? What would retrofitting mean since there is no technology to do what they want done?
I did not see any mention of LE exemption. Will departments be required to buy $50 a box ammo as well? That wont go over too well even with all those police chiefs who support gun control.
I hope it passes because it will thoroughly discredit gun control ideas like this.
I also doubt that ammo companies, which operate on tiny margins, will bother to invest the millions in R&D and equipment to satisfy the whims of the CA legislature.
 
BTW, I've heard criticism from liberals regarding fox news. I've heard the media outlet was biased toward conservatives. This report is skewed toward the left, if anything, IMO.
 
I kinda hope they do this just so they can see how miserably it fails. However, it really does set a dangerous precedent.
 
"I hope it passes because it will thoroughly discredit gun control ideas like this."

Geez, are you back on this again? Do you *ever* think things through?

Tim
 
No, they *claim* to have a way to do it. It has never been tested in production. They do not make ammo and have no experience with it. They seem to make skateboards. Skateboards are fine things and fun and useful but not exactly interchangeable with ammunition.
Here is SAAMI's page about this. Notice the feasibility barriers.
http://www.saami.org/news/CA_ammoSer040505.htm

Again, I doubt that the technology exists. If it does I doubt it will work in production. If it works I doubt it will be cost-effective as ammo makers work on tiny margins. Nope. It is a non-starter.
 
Likely, the thinking of those who support/push so ridiculous an idea would also have it that your Social Security Number should be tatooed on your forehead, or perhaps emblazoned on the horizon.

It is such creatures as these that the electorate sees fit to send and return to the halls of the legislature. Oh my.
 
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