Maryland - Legislators Submit Bill To Repeal Ballistics Law

[Township75]

Maryland lawmakers yesterday submitted a measure to repeal a state law requiring state police to collect ballistics information on every handgun sold in the state.

The bill -- sponsored by Dels. Joan Cadden (D-Anne Arundel), Norman H. Conway (D-Wicomico) and Michael D. Smigiel Sr. (R-Cecil) -- would nullify a landmark measure passed in 2000 that requires handgun manufacturers to test-fire all handguns sold in Maryland and send the spent shell casings to the state police. The police file the shell's ballistics markings in a database, which officers can use to match shell casings found at crime scenes.

Maryland and New York are the only states with ballistics "fingerprinting" laws, which gun-control advocates and some law enforcement officials have hailed as a potentially effective crime-fighting tool.

A recent Maryland State Police report, however, said the program is expensive and ineffective and recommended that the law be repealed. Gun-control advocates have disagreed, saying the system needs more time to work.

"The state police have indicated it's not working," said Smigiel, who filed a similar bill last year that died in committee. "We're wasting a couple million dollars which we could be putting to better use."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27873-2005Jan21.html

Good riddance to a stupid money-money wasting law! Can't wait to hear the Brady Campaign's response on the children :eyes:

[shoelace414]

1. and yet they're still fighting for School vouchers

[aikoaiko]

2. Sadly, I bought a gun from MD via online

I was so unhappy to see that little brown envelope with an empty case.

Of course, had I checked on MD laws I could have known, but it just felt wrong to have my "finger print" taken for buying a handgun. I wish the seller had let me know about this -- but of course I wouldn't have bought the gun had he disclosed this idiosyncratic practice. I wonder if it hurt gun sales in general in places like ND and NY. Hopefully, the repeal will also destroy the records. Wishful thinking.


editd to add more rambling.

[slackmaster]

4. Those records decline in usefulness with time

Every time you fire a gun it changes the "fingerprint" on fired cases.

If you change the barrel on a semiautomatic, it instantly changes the picture. Same with a new firing pin or extractor or ejector.

[aikoaiko]

5. changing the barrel is on my list of things to do.

Its a Taurus titanium 357 snubby (model 651) with porting and after watching the blast come out of the porting I was already inclined to change it to a nonported barrel. I have to find out if such a thing exits. Aside from the porting, its an impressive pocket gun. 357 is still a hell of a caliber.

As a novice when I bought it, I didn't realize that shooting a ported gun in a self-defense situation could easily lead to injuring me. Porting is fine at a target range when I have the time to make a proper stance, but self-defense use could easily require less than ideal technique.

So now I have two reasons to change the barrel (finger printing and porting).

[slackmaster]

6. I just bought a Dan Wesson .357 revolver

It's a complete set with four interchangeable barrels of different lengths, and the tools to do the change. AFAIK it's the only revolver with user-swappable barrels. You can change barrels in the field, and the operation takes only a couple of minutes.

Definitely wear eye protection at all times when shooting any firearm, unless you have no choice. Ported barrels can spew all kinds of nasty stuff at your face.

[Torque67]

7. No close retention firing for you.

Yeah, porting is only good for range time on a handgun. That mighty flash isnt much good for your night vision either. But, if worse comes to worst, and you have to fire it from a close retention position anyway, you'll get burned, and hopefully you'll still hit what you were shooting at, and maybe it'll save your keister. It'll still work, but it will end up like my favorite brush gun for deer hunting. A enfield #4 in .303 british with a barrel shortened to 17 inches and a light plastic stock set.. Still has the brass buttplate too. Kills in front, maims behind.

[slackmaster]

3. The old "we just need to give it more time" routine

We just need one more law, we need just a little more tax money, we just need to give it more time....

Total bullshit every time.