June 15, 2010

This article is a collaboration of Mayors Jerry Jennings of Albany, Wayne J. Hall Sr. of Hempstead, David R. Roefaro of Utica, Stephanie A. Miner of Syracuse, Matthew T. Ryan of Binghamton, Patricia McDonald of Malverne, and Philip Amicone of Yonkers. They are members of Mayors Against Illegal Guns.

Shots fired." Every day, that call comes into police stations across this state, and every day police officers and the communities they're sworn to protect seek answers. For a mayor, it's one of the most dreaded calls.

Police officers know all too well that violent criminals often do not leave guns at the scene of their crimes. Instead, the only evidence they may leave is a bleeding victim and possibly a few spent shell casings from the bullets fired. Current ballistics technology used by law enforcement to investigate gun crimes is limited in its ability to identify the source of the gun and the bullets used in a crime.

Microstamping technology has the potential to revolutionize investigations of gun crimes. The technology imprints or "microstamps" the serial number code of a gun onto the shell casing once the gun is fired. These serial numbers can help police connect crime scenes to guns -- and ultimately to the criminals who used those guns. The technology is invisible to responsible gun owners, but will allow police to shine a spotlight on gun criminals.

Like a car's vehicle identification number, microstamping's sole purpose is to provide a more accurate method to track down the owner of a gun used in a crime. Even if the first purchaser has nothing to do with the crime, the chain of custody becomes an important lead that police can follow straight to the actual shooter.

The Assembly recently passed legislation to require newly manufactured handguns sold in New York to be equipped with microstamping technology. The legislation has the support of 100 state members of the bipartisan Mayors Against Illegal Guns coalition and 83 police departments and law enforcement organizations including the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police, the New York State District Attorneys Association, and the New York State Law Enforcement Council.

Microstamping would have no impact on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding gun owners. This legislation has nothing to do with hunting rifles or revolvers. It would only affect newly manufactured semiautomatic pistols sold in our state.

Microstamping is cost-effective. The proposed legislation ensures that the cost to the manufacturer will not exceed $12 per gun, likely much less. The technology cannot be defeated; the microstamp can't be filed down, or sandpapered away without potentially making the gun inoperable. In fact, criminals rarely attempt to deface serial numbers. According to the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, less than 20 percent of guns recovered in crimes have their serial numbers scratched off.

Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel and Sen. Eric Schneiderman have been leading the fight for passage of this legislation. Its fate lies in the state Senate. We ask our senators to listen to New Yorkers, including hunters and sportsmen. They're telling us to hold criminals accountable.

We don't have time to waste. We urge the Senate to pass this common sense legislation immediately.