Why is a fired case shipped w/gun?

[VINTAGE-SLOTCARS]

When I looked over my new H & K usp 45 there was an envelope in the plastic case. I thought it was the factory sights as the gun had mounted nite sights. I was amazed to find a single fired 45 acp case in the envelope. Why do they ship the fired case w/the gun??? Thanks

 

[Average Joe]

Some states require it, for registering the gun. It is to be kept on file for future harassment . Since the manufacture has to test fire the gun anyway, they send you the empty shell in a sealed envelope . If your state requires the shell, you have to hand over the envelope with the seal intact.

 

[jmr40]

In case ballistic fingerprinting ever becomes a reality. The thought is that every gun sold will have several empty cases on file some where. In the case of a crime empty cases collected at a crime scene can be compared to samples on file and trace the gun from empty cases.

Manufacturers are now required to keep samples on file at the factory and send 1 or 2 with the gun. Some day in the future, you may have to take the one with your gun to the sherriff's office for them to file.

 

[CoRoMo]

To start you out reloading.

 

[SomeDude]

Maryland requires a casing to be shipped with a new handgun. But hey, at least you know the gun works.

 

[rellascout]

The messed up part is that enough stats require a casing. CA, NY, MD etc...... that 99% of guns now come with one.... so even if your state does not require it there is a paper trail..........

 

[Spyvie]

I would think that the chamber changes with wear and cleaning. I wonder how well the first round fired would match up with the 2000th...

 

[jmr40]

^ Exactly why this is bogus. Not to mention the ability to change barrels. I have 2 Glock 19's and can change the barrels and slides on them in 30 seconds. Changing the ballistic fingerprint of both guns. What is to prevent a criminal from picking up a handful of brass from a range and scattering them around a crime scene?

 

[VINTAGE-SLOTCARS]

Thanks for all the answers,, I do like the reloading one. I guess I should not have opened the envelope. Maybe I should put a range pick up in there instead.

 

[harmon rabb]

how stupid 'fingerprinting' laws are. criminals will just use revolvers and not have to worry about shell casings giving them away.

 

[toivo]

We have "ballistic fingerprinting" in New York State. It has cost the taxpayers millions of dollars and hasn't solved a single crime.

The stupidest part of it all is that they only require it for new guns. So the criminal would have to have bought the gun new from a dealer in order to get caught by "fingerprinting." And most criminals don't buy their guns new from dealers because they can't pass the NICS check. Doh!

 

[chabanais]

With my Sig P226 you can just buy a new barrel so it seems silly.

 

[SomeDude]

The spent case is for the firing pin imprint on the primer. Changing the barrel won't help with that.

 

[wbwanzer]

It's for places like the People's Republic of Maryland which requires it. It has never solved a single crime.

The requirement just keeps me from purchasing certain makes of new pistols online.
I was all set to buy a used HK P7 last week from CDNN until they found out I lived in Maryland and that was the end of the deal. Maryland does not require the spent case for used guns, but CDNN figures that Maryland is too big of a pain in the ass to deal with, so they won't ship here.

 

[jmr40]

The firing pin imprint is only 1 part of ballistic fingerprinting. There are unique markings all over the case that are considered as well. But as an earlier poster commented normal wear and use on the gun will change those markings. The 1st round fired from a gun will be significantly different from one fired several thousand rounds later.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I would think that the chamber changes with wear and cleaning. I wonder how well the first round fired would match up with the 2000th...

It's for the base of the case, not the chamber marks, which of course will change with a barrel swap. The Glock especially makes marks not only on the primer, but on the rear of the cartridge.

It was merely a way of harassing some of the gun makers to refuse to ship to Maryland (and for liberal politicians to tell the ignorant voters who vote for them they did "something" to stop gun violence), as the evidence is inadmissible in a Maryland court. For the data from the spent case to be used in a trial, there MUST be a chain-of-custody that is unbroken from the time the gun was fired to the time the spent case was entered into the data base. So you have to subpoena the guy who test fired the gun, the guy at the gun company who sealed the gun case for shipping, the folks at the gun wholesalers to say the gun case remained sealed, the folks at the gun shop that sold the gun to say the gun case arrived sealed and they sent the spent brass still sealed in the envelope to the state police, and the person at the state police to testify the envelope arrived sealed. BUT..., there is NO requirement for anybody to mark the envelopes across the flaps to when sealed..., so any clown with tea kettle could steam them open, and change the brass. There is also a requirement for spent casings to be provided for revolvers..., 'cause they get so many revolvers ejecting cases at shootings NOT.

IF they recovered a gun used in a crime, they could test fire it, and compare it to casings found on the ground of a crime scene...standard procedure...., but that doesn't prove the gun was fired at the crime scene, only that a recovered piece of brass belongs to that gun. How tough would it be for a person to pick up a random spent case at the public firing range to drop at a crime scene ? A very easy way to screw up the evidence trail if the piece dropped matched the caliber of the gun that was used in the crime. They don't always recover slugs from shooting scenes, and those they do recover don't always provide enough marks to make a ballistic comparison. It's a silly waste of taxpayers' money.

LD

 

[jocko]

I was always told that it is the firing pin that leaves the traceable mark, not the chamber marks etc. And we al know firing pins can be changed and over time will wear also.. I have yet to read of where any one time this casing stuff has brought about a conviction either. jsut more paper work and something to please Sarah Brady..

 

[Dan Crocker]

The spent case is for the firing pin imprint on the primer. Changing the barrel won't help with that.

Bingo. But throw and aftermarket barrel, firing pin, and extractor in your gun, keep the factory ones, and if the need ever arises after some, um, incident...just put the factory ones back in and deep-six the other parts.

 

[Evnldr]

I was told with the swappable barrels this has markings from the gun fire pin and also eject port marks that you cant really see.