Firearms Industry Warns:
Passage of Microstamping Bill
is Tantamount to Gun Ban

NEWTOWN, Conn. – The California Senate Public Safety Committee will take up the issue of firearms microstamping early tomorrow morning and the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) – the firearm industry's trade association – is wasting no time in warning all members of the California Senate that passage of the legislation is a de facto ban of firearms. The microstamping bill (AB 1471) would require manufacturers to micro laser engrave, in two separate locations, the gun's make, model and serial number so, in theory, that information would be imprinted on any cartridge casing fired in the gun. Opposition to the legislation has intensified as firearm manufacturers have indicated that passage of microstamping legislation would force them to stop sales into the state because completely reconfiguring their manufacturing and assembly process would be cost prohibitive.

"Compelling the use of this unreliable sole-sourced technology will dramatically reduce the product selection available to law-abiding consumers in California," said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel. "Many manufacturers will choose to abandon the California market rather than incur substantial costs associated with complying with microstamping legislation, which would include purchasing (at monopolistic prices) very expensive equipment and patented technology and completely redesigning their manufacturing processes, plant and equipment."

Further emboldening opposition to the microstamping bill is the recent release of a study by researchers at the University of California at Davis proving that the technology is "flawed" and "does not work well for all guns and ammunition." The authors' concluded that, "At the current time it is not recommended that a mandate for implementation of this technology in all semiautomatic handguns in the state of California be made. Further testing, analysis and evaluation is required."

The research demonstrated that results varied widely, "depending on the weapon [and] ammunition used." The authors of the study note that "more testing in a wider range of firearms is needed to determine the costs and feasibility" of mandating microstamping.

"The UC Davis study confirms an earlier study on firearms microstamping," said Keane, referring to an independent, peer-reviewed study published last year in the professional scholarly journal for forensic firearms examiners. That study proved that microstamping firearms was unreliable and did not function as the patent holder claimed and could be easily defeated in mere seconds using common household tools.

A similar bill (AB 352) failed last year over concerns about reliability, cost and the fact that it is a patented sole-sourced technology. The patent holder, New Hampshire-based ID Dynamics and its owner Todd Lizotte, have been aggressively lobbying the legislature to pass AB 1471, despite opposition from the firearms and ammunition industry and law enforcement groups such as the Peace Officers Research Association of California and the Orange County Sheriff.

"The U.C. Davis study and earlier peer-reviewed research only serve to further validate our longstanding concerns that this technology is unreliable, that it simply does not work as advertised and can and will be easily defeated by criminals in seconds using common household tools," continued Keane. "Given this and the fact that passage of microstamping legislation will lead to manufacturers refusing to sell firearms in the state, we encourage the Senate Public Safety Committee to oppose this dangerous bill."

For more information on the facts concerning microstamping please visit: www.nssf.org.    

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