Car Knocker
Member
http://www.sltrib.com/2004/Mar/03102004/public_f/146224.asp
Ballistic fingerprints bogus
Bob Bowen (Forum, March 4), wrote that it's too bad the National Rifle Association isn't pushing for things like ballistic fingerprinting. Ballistic fingerprinting might work in a science-fiction story, but in real life, it doesn't.
Why? Same reason that you can't fingerprint the tires on new cars. Because after so many miles, the tires wear down and the prints change, or you can change your tires. It just wouldn't work. Same thing with guns. You could create this great database at the cost of millions of dollars, then one could buy a gun, take a touch of sandpaper to the extractor and the inside of the barrel and, presto, the database is instantly useless. Or, just fire a lot of rounds as normal and, again, the database would be useless.
Fingerprinting makes a nice-sounding buzzword, but a metal gun has no genetic code to restore it to new condition after use.
George Hill
Vernal
Way to go, George!!!
Ballistic fingerprints bogus
Bob Bowen (Forum, March 4), wrote that it's too bad the National Rifle Association isn't pushing for things like ballistic fingerprinting. Ballistic fingerprinting might work in a science-fiction story, but in real life, it doesn't.
Why? Same reason that you can't fingerprint the tires on new cars. Because after so many miles, the tires wear down and the prints change, or you can change your tires. It just wouldn't work. Same thing with guns. You could create this great database at the cost of millions of dollars, then one could buy a gun, take a touch of sandpaper to the extractor and the inside of the barrel and, presto, the database is instantly useless. Or, just fire a lot of rounds as normal and, again, the database would be useless.
Fingerprinting makes a nice-sounding buzzword, but a metal gun has no genetic code to restore it to new condition after use.
George Hill
Vernal
Way to go, George!!!
