Prometheus 6

A Crime-Fighting Opportunity

In October, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a smart new law that will help police apprehend violent criminals and deter the gun traffickers who supply them. The measure requires that all new semiautomatic pistols sold in the state starting in 2010 be equipped with technology known as microstamping, which will allow police to quickly match empty bullet casings to the weapon that fired them.

Legislation that would extend that requirement nationwide has just been introduced in both houses of Congress. It deserves full support from lawmakers of both parties, and both sides of the gun control debate.

The microstamping process uses lasers to make microscopic markings on a gun’s firing pin and other internal surfaces, identifying the weapon’s make, model and serial number. When the gun is fired, this information is stamped onto the bullet casing, providing an immediate lead for investigators to pursue when casings ejected from the weapon are found at a crime scene.