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A2 UP FRONT
Friday 10 June 2022
New push in N.Y. to force gunmakers to adopt microstamping

er couldn’t make micro-
stamping work.
Gun advocacy groups
have argued that criminals
could switch out handgun
parts to avoid microstamp-
ing.
“It is too easy to modify,
too easy to make changes
so the numbers wouldn’t
be visible,” New York State
Rifle and Pistol Association
Executive Director Tom King
said. “The reason the state
is doing this is because fire-
arm manufacturers said
they wouldn’t make mi-
crostamping pistols for one
state. This is a backdoor
method for banning fire-
arms in New York.”
The industry has argued
that the market for semiau-
tomatic pistols in California
is so lucrative, no rational
business would sacrifice it
unless it really couldn’t find
a way to implement the
technology.
Half a dozen gun manu-
facturers, including Ruger
and Smith & Wesson, didn’t
New York Governor Kathy Hochul, left, talks with Congressman Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y, before the New York’s governor primary debate
at the studios of WCBS2-TV, Tuesday, June 7, 2022, in New York. respond to emailed re-
Associated Press quests for comment about
whether they’ll adopt the
Continued from Front a firearm when a firearm is has to work 100% all of the California lawmakers are technology for guns sold in
not recovered,” said micro- time, and that’s not a real- now trying tweaks. New New York.
“The New York legislature stamping co-inventor Todd ity for any technology we weapons used by law en- The law’s supporters hope
has set up a more robust Lizotte. have,” said Ari Davis of the forcement agencies in the the market pressure cre-
system that will produce Peter Diaczuk, a firearms Coalition to Stop Gun Vio- state must utilize micro- ated by two big states will
a set of conditions and expert with John Jay Col- lence. stamping starting in 2023. be enough to get gunmak-
evaluations that doesn’t lege of Criminal Justice, California’s law, passed Another law would gradu- ers to adopt the technol-
rely on the gun industry to said there are unanswered in 2007, was intended to ally whittle down the list of ogy. New York alone sees
give them a thumbs up or issues that still need to be re- phase in the technology by noncompliant handguns monthly sales of nearly
thumbs down,” said David solved before microstamp- requiring it in all new hand- approved for sale in Cali- 10,000 firearms that could
Pucino, of the Giffords Law ing becomes a valuable gun models. The law was fornia by removing three eventually fall under the
Center to Prevent Gun Vio- law enforcement tool. It’s stalled by legal challeng- older models for every new, law, according to Chris-
lence. unclear, for example, who es, but even after a court microstamp-equipped tian Heyne, vice president
A pair of engineers in New would maintain any data- upheld it in 2018 — ruling model put into the market, of the gun control group
Hampshire are credited base capable of linking se- microstamping was tech- starting July 1. Brady.
with inventing microstamp- rial numbers on recovered nologically possible and New York’s law takes a “The ripple effect of being
ing as a potential law en- shell casings to firearms. reasonably affordable, at different approach. Its mi- able to force the industry to
forcement tool three de- Diaczuk said he’s also wor- a cost of $3.00 to $10.00 crostamping law covers all use this technology could
cades ago. The process ried about a lack of re- per gun — manufacturers newly manufactured hand- have dramatic impacts
involves engraving a serial search on microstamping balked. guns, not just new models, across the country,” Heyne
number inside the firearm, and how long the engrav- Rather than introduce new meaning gunmakers would said.
on the tip of the firing pin or ing technology lasts before models, they have contin- only be able to bypass the Whatever changes hap-
breech face. it wears out. He said wor- ued to sell older designs rule until they depleted ex- pen won’t come quickly.
When the gun fires, that ried supporters are exag- previously approved for isting stock. New York envisions a slow
unique number or code is gerating how well micro- sale. The gun lobby has contin- roll-out for its new law.
stamped on the shell cas- stamping is proven to work. “What the gun industry has ued to argue that the costs State officials will spend
ing. Law enforcement in- “This is absolutely not a done is said: ‘We’re not go- and challenges of adopt- six months investigating
vestigators could then pick panacea, not a magic bul- ing to sell any new models ing microstamping are whether microstamping is
up casings at crime scenes let that’s going to make of guns that fall under the much steeper than sup- as technologically viable
and turn to a database gun crime go down dra- statute,’” said Dru Steven- porters portray. as its supporters claim. If
that could indicate which matically,” Diazczuk said. son, a firearms policy ex- The National Shooting the answer is “yes,” the
gun fired the round and But gun control groups say pert and professor at South Sports Foundation says state has given itself four
where that weapon was the technology could still Texas College of Law Hous- the technology actually years to set up regulations.
last sold by a licensed fire- be a valuable law enforce- ton. “The problem with the costs $200 per gun. Ruger After that, dealers who sell
arms dealer. ment tool. statute is that it grandfa- CEO Michael O. Fifer told firearms that violate the law
“The issue here is providing “The firearm, gun industry thered in too many existing investors in October 2014 could face fines or the loss
a forensic tool to identify has set up an idea that it models.” that the gun manufactur- of their license.q