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http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20030126_1068.html
Gun 'Fingerprinting' Success Questioned
Calif. Reports Question Success of Efforts to Compile Firearm 'Fingerprints'
The Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, Calif. Jan. 26 —
Two related California studies to be released this week conclude it is
currently impractical to catalog the ballistic "fingerprints" of every
firearm in the state.
Recording every firearm made and sold in the nation's most populous state
could be overwhelming, according to an internal California Department of
Justice report obtained last fall by The Associated Press.
Supporters of a proposed nationwide database fear the report, combined with
an independent review of it, will further undermine congressional support
for a national firearms database inspired by last fall's Washington area
sniper attacks. The reports, along with a federal rebuttal, are to be
submitted to state lawmakers.
Gun control supporters want the state to lead the way by passing legislation
requiring manufacturers to provide a bullet "fingerprint" for every gun made
and sold in California, which sells and produces more guns than any other
state. Currently, Maryland and New York require ballistics be kept only on
handguns.
California's initial study found the number of potential computer matches in
the state "will be so large as to be impractical," that "a large proportion"
of weapons couldn't be recorded, and that each gun's markings change with
routine use and can be easily altered.
State Attorney General Bill Lockyer delayed the release of the state report
while he submitted it for reviews by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco
and Firearms, and by independent ballistics expert Jan De Kinder of Belgium.
The ATF disputed much of the California report, saying that with systems
being developed by the ATF and FBI, "large-scale ballistic comparison goes
from an impossibility to a valuable investigative tool."
De Kinder, of Belgium's National Institute for Forensic Science, supported
the state study and disputed the ATF's rebuttal.
Such databases hold promise, De Kinder concluded, but not without improvements
in the current technology. The system tested was ineffective in a third to
two-thirds of test firings, and "the situation worsens as the number of
firearms in the database is increased," he found.
His review will be included as an appendix in a report Lockyer will send to
state lawmakers, said spokeswoman Hallye Jordan.
Lockyer is expected to conclude that a statewide database for large-scale
ballistics comparisons is not currently practical and to recommend more
research and development.
Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association,
said the studies illustrate that "this needs a lot more study or a lot of
money will be wasted."
Gun control advocates said De Kinder's report shows such databases hold
promise even if they're not ready yet.
"We think the system has tremendous potential. It clearly needs more support
and development," said Luis Tolley, Western director of the Brady Center to
Prevent Gun Violence. "It's similar to where we were 10 years ago with DNA."
Ballistics comparisons are widely used to match bullets to specific firearms,
or to link bullets found at different crime scenes to the same weapon. Long
before they had suspects in custody last fall in the Washington-area sniper
attacks, investigators used such comparisons to conclude that bullets
recovered in separate shootings came from a single rifle.
Gun 'Fingerprinting' Success Questioned
Calif. Reports Question Success of Efforts to Compile Firearm 'Fingerprints'
The Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, Calif. Jan. 26 —
Two related California studies to be released this week conclude it is
currently impractical to catalog the ballistic "fingerprints" of every
firearm in the state.
Recording every firearm made and sold in the nation's most populous state
could be overwhelming, according to an internal California Department of
Justice report obtained last fall by The Associated Press.
Supporters of a proposed nationwide database fear the report, combined with
an independent review of it, will further undermine congressional support
for a national firearms database inspired by last fall's Washington area
sniper attacks. The reports, along with a federal rebuttal, are to be
submitted to state lawmakers.
Gun control supporters want the state to lead the way by passing legislation
requiring manufacturers to provide a bullet "fingerprint" for every gun made
and sold in California, which sells and produces more guns than any other
state. Currently, Maryland and New York require ballistics be kept only on
handguns.
California's initial study found the number of potential computer matches in
the state "will be so large as to be impractical," that "a large proportion"
of weapons couldn't be recorded, and that each gun's markings change with
routine use and can be easily altered.
State Attorney General Bill Lockyer delayed the release of the state report
while he submitted it for reviews by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco
and Firearms, and by independent ballistics expert Jan De Kinder of Belgium.
The ATF disputed much of the California report, saying that with systems
being developed by the ATF and FBI, "large-scale ballistic comparison goes
from an impossibility to a valuable investigative tool."
De Kinder, of Belgium's National Institute for Forensic Science, supported
the state study and disputed the ATF's rebuttal.
Such databases hold promise, De Kinder concluded, but not without improvements
in the current technology. The system tested was ineffective in a third to
two-thirds of test firings, and "the situation worsens as the number of
firearms in the database is increased," he found.
His review will be included as an appendix in a report Lockyer will send to
state lawmakers, said spokeswoman Hallye Jordan.
Lockyer is expected to conclude that a statewide database for large-scale
ballistics comparisons is not currently practical and to recommend more
research and development.
Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association,
said the studies illustrate that "this needs a lot more study or a lot of
money will be wasted."
Gun control advocates said De Kinder's report shows such databases hold
promise even if they're not ready yet.
"We think the system has tremendous potential. It clearly needs more support
and development," said Luis Tolley, Western director of the Brady Center to
Prevent Gun Violence. "It's similar to where we were 10 years ago with DNA."
Ballistics comparisons are widely used to match bullets to specific firearms,
or to link bullets found at different crime scenes to the same weapon. Long
before they had suspects in custody last fall in the Washington-area sniper
attacks, investigators used such comparisons to conclude that bullets
recovered in separate shootings came from a single rifle.
