Senator Smitherman has pulled the bull - for now. Plans to reintroduce it later.
Ammo coding bill to be withdrawn
Sunday, May 04, 2008
By BOB LOWRY
Times Staff Writer [email protected]
State senator says he'll study, try to reach a compromise
MONTGOMERY - The sponsor of a bill that would require pistol ammunition sold or manufactured in Alabama be coded says he'll drop the measure, even though it's in position to be passed by the state Senate.
Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, said there was not enough time left in the session to work out a compromise with opponents and the bill needs further study.
"I'm not going try to move it past where it is now," he said. "Some people have some concerns about the implementation of it. Before I do anything, I'm going to try and work with them."
The National Rifle Association opposes the concept, but Smitherman said he had not been contacted by the NRA. He said he had mostly been called by gun collectors and those who make their own ammo.
Bullet identification technology uses a micro-laser to assign a unique code to every round of factory-produced ammo manufactured. A code is etched on the projectile and the inside of the cartridge casing.
Each code is common to a single box of cartridges and unique from all other ammo sold. The unique codes are tracked and records maintained to identify individual ammo purchases.
"There are a lot of things we need to do to make exceptions to it that won't affect people, such as collectors, something of that nature," said Smitherman. "We need to do an analysis of the total cost."
But Smitherman said he supports the idea of bullet coding as a means to help police in solving crimes where pistols are used.
The proposal has been taken up in legislatures in California, Hawaii, Indiana, Illinois, Maryland, New York and Washington.
The theory is by recording sales records, law enforcement personnel would be able to easily trace the ammo used in a crime and have an avenue to pursue and solve even the most difficult cases.
Supporters say police could identify the bullet code in cases where as little as 20 percent of the bullet base remains intact after recovery.
Because bullets are designed to keep the base solid and in its original configuration, the likelihood of the codes remaining legible after recovery is very high, according to the maker of one of the systems, Ammunition Coding System of Seattle.
Had Smitherman's bill passed, it would have taken effect Jan. 1, and ammo would have had to been coded from that date forward. Any non-coded bullets in the hands of retailers and private citizens as of Jan. 1, 2011, would have had to been destroyed.
It also would have required the state Department of Public Safety to establish and maintain a coding database. Ammunition vendors and manufacturers would have had to register with the department.
The bill would have required a fee not to exceed 0.005 cents per bullet to establish and maintain the database.
On its Web site, NRA cites the following reasons for its opposition to encoded ammunition:
- Forfeiture of currently owned ammo;
- Separate registration for every box of new ammo;
- Expensive ammo for law enforcement and private gun owners;
- Waste of taxpayer money that would be better spent on traditional police programs;
- Many people who have guns but no driver's license or government issued ID card would not be able to buy ammo.
© 2008 The Huntsville Times
Ammo coding bill to be withdrawn
Sunday, May 04, 2008
By BOB LOWRY
Times Staff Writer [email protected]
State senator says he'll study, try to reach a compromise
MONTGOMERY - The sponsor of a bill that would require pistol ammunition sold or manufactured in Alabama be coded says he'll drop the measure, even though it's in position to be passed by the state Senate.
Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, said there was not enough time left in the session to work out a compromise with opponents and the bill needs further study.
"I'm not going try to move it past where it is now," he said. "Some people have some concerns about the implementation of it. Before I do anything, I'm going to try and work with them."
The National Rifle Association opposes the concept, but Smitherman said he had not been contacted by the NRA. He said he had mostly been called by gun collectors and those who make their own ammo.
Bullet identification technology uses a micro-laser to assign a unique code to every round of factory-produced ammo manufactured. A code is etched on the projectile and the inside of the cartridge casing.
Each code is common to a single box of cartridges and unique from all other ammo sold. The unique codes are tracked and records maintained to identify individual ammo purchases.
"There are a lot of things we need to do to make exceptions to it that won't affect people, such as collectors, something of that nature," said Smitherman. "We need to do an analysis of the total cost."
But Smitherman said he supports the idea of bullet coding as a means to help police in solving crimes where pistols are used.
The proposal has been taken up in legislatures in California, Hawaii, Indiana, Illinois, Maryland, New York and Washington.
The theory is by recording sales records, law enforcement personnel would be able to easily trace the ammo used in a crime and have an avenue to pursue and solve even the most difficult cases.
Supporters say police could identify the bullet code in cases where as little as 20 percent of the bullet base remains intact after recovery.
Because bullets are designed to keep the base solid and in its original configuration, the likelihood of the codes remaining legible after recovery is very high, according to the maker of one of the systems, Ammunition Coding System of Seattle.
Had Smitherman's bill passed, it would have taken effect Jan. 1, and ammo would have had to been coded from that date forward. Any non-coded bullets in the hands of retailers and private citizens as of Jan. 1, 2011, would have had to been destroyed.
It also would have required the state Department of Public Safety to establish and maintain a coding database. Ammunition vendors and manufacturers would have had to register with the department.
The bill would have required a fee not to exceed 0.005 cents per bullet to establish and maintain the database.
On its Web site, NRA cites the following reasons for its opposition to encoded ammunition:
- Forfeiture of currently owned ammo;
- Separate registration for every box of new ammo;
- Expensive ammo for law enforcement and private gun owners;
- Waste of taxpayer money that would be better spent on traditional police programs;
- Many people who have guns but no driver's license or government issued ID card would not be able to buy ammo.
© 2008 The Huntsville Times
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