http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/5036520.htm
California reports question success of firearm 'fingerprinting'
DON THOMPSON
Associated Press
SACRAMENTO - Two related California studies to be released this week conclude it is currently impractical to catalog the ballistic "fingerprints" of every firearm in California, findings gun control opponents are using to fight calls for a national database inspired by last fall's East Coast sniper shootings.
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 by The Associated Press last fall.
Now, supporters of a nationwide database fear an independent scientific review of that report, provided to the AP this week, will further undermine congressional support for a national firearms database.
Gun control supporters want California to lead the way by passing proposed legislation requiring manufacturers to provide a bullet "fingerprint" for every gun made and sold in California, which sells and produces the most guns of any state. Currently, Maryland and New York require ballistics be kept only on handguns.
State Attorney General Bill Lockyer sent the initial report to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms for rebuttal, and asked for an independent review of the research method used by his own agency while he delayed the report's public release.
But the independent report, conducted by Belgian ballistics expert Jan De Kinder, supported the earlier state study and disputed the ATF's rebuttal. A copy of the report was provided to the AP this week after repeated previous requests were denied.
Gun control advocates said De Kinder's report shows such databases hold eventual promise even if they're not ready today.
"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. ... If there are problems, let's solve those problems."
Tolley questioned why the state would ask for a review by "someone who has been speaking out against most databases for a long time," given Lockyer's support for a national database.
The review by De Kinder, of Belgium's National Institute for Forensic Science, will be included as an appendix in a report Lockyer will forward to state lawmakers early next week, said spokeswoman Hallye Jordan. That report will put the two negative studies into "context," she said.
Lockyer is expected to conclude that a statewide database for large-scale ballistics comparisons is not currently practical, but will call for more research and development.
"The department's report shows the need for leadership at the state and federal level to further develop the technology, and ultimately establish a database of ballistic information," said state Sen. Jack Scott, D-Altadena, who proposes that California collect the data for later use as the technology improves.
Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association, expects the Scott's bill may pass, if "politicians in California say, 'The heck with the truth - we want to put this on line.'" However, he said, the studies illustrate "this needs a lot more study or a lot of money will be wasted."
Lockyer earlier said the state study illustrates the massive technological and logistical problems with tracking more than 100,000 firearms sold annually in California, and more than 1 million nationwide. But he said the potential advantages mean the federal government should make developing a usable database "a top national priority."
Ballistics comparisons already are widely used to match specific 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, East Coast investigators used such comparisons to conclude that bullets recovered in separate shootings over a wide area came from a single rifle.
Advocates say creating a database containing the unique ballistics "signature" of all firearms would let bullets at crime scenes be matched to specific weapons and owners, in the same way fingerprints can be matched to individuals.
California's initial study found the number of potential computer matches in the state alone "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. The report also said such an expensive system would have limited results.
A California law required the final report be sent to legislators in June 2001, but Lockyer delayed its release while he asked for the reviews by ATF and De Kinder.
The ATF disputed much of the California report, saying with systems such as a more limited crime-gun database currently being developed by the ATF and FBI, "large-scale ballistic comparison goes from an impossibility to a valuable investigative tool."
But De Kinder supported the state study, rejecting criticism by both the ATF and Forensic Technology Inc., which produces the Integrated Ballistic Identification System that was tested by the state. The IBIS system also is used in the fledgling national database being developed by the FBI and ATF to compare weapons and bullets recovered at crime scenes.
Not only was the system ineffective in a third to two-thirds of test firings, but "the situation worsens as the number of firearms in the database is increased," De Kinder found.
Such databases hold promise, he concluded, but not without improvements in the current technology.
ON THE NET
Coalition to Stop Gun Violence: http://www.gunfree.org/
National Rifle Association: http://www.nra.org/
Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence: http://www.bradycampaign.org/
National Shooting Sports Foundation: http://www.nssf.org/
Read SB35 at www.sen.ca.gov
California reports question success of firearm 'fingerprinting'
DON THOMPSON
Associated Press
SACRAMENTO - Two related California studies to be released this week conclude it is currently impractical to catalog the ballistic "fingerprints" of every firearm in California, findings gun control opponents are using to fight calls for a national database inspired by last fall's East Coast sniper shootings.
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 by The Associated Press last fall.
Now, supporters of a nationwide database fear an independent scientific review of that report, provided to the AP this week, will further undermine congressional support for a national firearms database.
Gun control supporters want California to lead the way by passing proposed legislation requiring manufacturers to provide a bullet "fingerprint" for every gun made and sold in California, which sells and produces the most guns of any state. Currently, Maryland and New York require ballistics be kept only on handguns.
State Attorney General Bill Lockyer sent the initial report to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms for rebuttal, and asked for an independent review of the research method used by his own agency while he delayed the report's public release.
But the independent report, conducted by Belgian ballistics expert Jan De Kinder, supported the earlier state study and disputed the ATF's rebuttal. A copy of the report was provided to the AP this week after repeated previous requests were denied.
Gun control advocates said De Kinder's report shows such databases hold eventual promise even if they're not ready today.
"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. ... If there are problems, let's solve those problems."
Tolley questioned why the state would ask for a review by "someone who has been speaking out against most databases for a long time," given Lockyer's support for a national database.
The review by De Kinder, of Belgium's National Institute for Forensic Science, will be included as an appendix in a report Lockyer will forward to state lawmakers early next week, said spokeswoman Hallye Jordan. That report will put the two negative studies into "context," she said.
Lockyer is expected to conclude that a statewide database for large-scale ballistics comparisons is not currently practical, but will call for more research and development.
"The department's report shows the need for leadership at the state and federal level to further develop the technology, and ultimately establish a database of ballistic information," said state Sen. Jack Scott, D-Altadena, who proposes that California collect the data for later use as the technology improves.
Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association, expects the Scott's bill may pass, if "politicians in California say, 'The heck with the truth - we want to put this on line.'" However, he said, the studies illustrate "this needs a lot more study or a lot of money will be wasted."
Lockyer earlier said the state study illustrates the massive technological and logistical problems with tracking more than 100,000 firearms sold annually in California, and more than 1 million nationwide. But he said the potential advantages mean the federal government should make developing a usable database "a top national priority."
Ballistics comparisons already are widely used to match specific 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, East Coast investigators used such comparisons to conclude that bullets recovered in separate shootings over a wide area came from a single rifle.
Advocates say creating a database containing the unique ballistics "signature" of all firearms would let bullets at crime scenes be matched to specific weapons and owners, in the same way fingerprints can be matched to individuals.
California's initial study found the number of potential computer matches in the state alone "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. The report also said such an expensive system would have limited results.
A California law required the final report be sent to legislators in June 2001, but Lockyer delayed its release while he asked for the reviews by ATF and De Kinder.
The ATF disputed much of the California report, saying with systems such as a more limited crime-gun database currently being developed by the ATF and FBI, "large-scale ballistic comparison goes from an impossibility to a valuable investigative tool."
But De Kinder supported the state study, rejecting criticism by both the ATF and Forensic Technology Inc., which produces the Integrated Ballistic Identification System that was tested by the state. The IBIS system also is used in the fledgling national database being developed by the FBI and ATF to compare weapons and bullets recovered at crime scenes.
Not only was the system ineffective in a third to two-thirds of test firings, but "the situation worsens as the number of firearms in the database is increased," De Kinder found.
Such databases hold promise, he concluded, but not without improvements in the current technology.
ON THE NET
Coalition to Stop Gun Violence: http://www.gunfree.org/
National Rifle Association: http://www.nra.org/
Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence: http://www.bradycampaign.org/
National Shooting Sports Foundation: http://www.nssf.org/
Read SB35 at www.sen.ca.gov
