The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute (SAAMI)–an association of the nation’s leading manufacturers of firearms, ammunition and components based in Newtown, Connecticut–has released a statement in response to an AP article about the failure of New York and Maryland’s ballistic imaging databases.
The Associated Press story, titled ”NY new-gun database has yet to lead to prosecution,” released September 29, 2008, cited the failures of the New York and Maryland ballistic imaging databases. And in testimony October 1 in a Washington, D.C. City Council hearing, the executive director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence conceded that ballistic imaging has “not been successful.”
SAAMI commented that the failure of the New York and Maryland ballistic imaging database systems to solve any crimes in their nearly eight years of existence was predictable. In 2001, California wisely rejected setting up its own ballistics imaging system because research, including by the California Department of Justice, proved that a database of lawfully purchased firearms (that are rarely ever used in crimes) would not be an effective law enforcement tool. Another study released earlier this year by the National Research Council confirmed the findings and advised against setting up a national ballistics imaging system. New York and Maryland have wasted millions of taxpayer dollars on systems doomed to fail.
The SAAMI statement continued, saying that New York has even stopped entering images into its database — with a backlog of over 25,000 cartridge cases — because the computer server housing the database is offline and isn’t even in the state.
In 2004, a report by the Maryland State Police Forensic Sciences Division concluded that the ballistic imaging system “had not proven to be a time saving tool for the firearms examiner or an investigative enhancement to the criminal investigator,” and that “it has simply failed in the mission and vision concepts originally established for the program.”
These “retail point-of-purchase databases” should be distinguished from the ballistics imaging database of crime scene evidence maintained by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, called the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, which has had some success in developing investigatory leads.
As the failures of ballistic imaging are becoming known, some gun control advocates that had initially supported mandating ballistic imaging databases are now promoting a new technology, called firearms microstamping.
Firearms microstamping is the patented process that laser engraves the firearm’s make, model and serial number on the tip of the gun’s firing pin so that, in theory, it imprints the information on discharged cartridge cases. Microstamping is a nascent technology that numerous independent studies, including by the NRC, University of California at Davis and renowned forensic scientist Professor George Krivosta, have proven to be unreliable and easily defeated in mere seconds using common household tools. Furthermore, microstamping can be simply evaded by criminals by switching out microstamped parts on a firearm for unmarked spare parts. In fact, yesterday Washington, D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier joined the firearms industry in calling for further research into microstamping prior to any legislative mandate.
While the firearms industry welcomes further independent study of either technology, SAAMI supports allocating taxpayer dollars to proven means of crime reduction such as more police officers and more prosecutors.
Further information is available at the SAAMI website, www.saami.org.
