June 15, 2010

Mayor Michael Bloomberg's crusade against illegal guns took him to Albany today, where lawmakers proposed new legislation to help police investigations.

Bloomberg and other mayors from New York State, Democratic candidate for state attorney general and State Senator Eric Schneiderman, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and other members of the law enforcement community gathered outside the Capitol to urge the State Senate to pass microstamping legislation.

Microstamping allows law enforcement officials to trace firearms through cartridge casings found at crime scenes, even if the crime gun is never recovered.

Schneiderman said the legislation could be considered by the State Senate as early as today. He said that three Republican senators will vote for the measure, which will outbalance the opposition of some upstate Democrats.

Opponents said that microstamping costs would place a burden on sellers, but proponents said the policy's benefits are more important.

"The cost of the average gun, Ray Kelly estimates, is something like $450. So $12 is not a noticeable thing, it's not going to be a determinate as to whether anybody's going to buy a gun or not buy a gun," said Bloomberg. "And in any case, I don't know how to compare the $12 cost to the cost of lives."

"It will enable us to establish patterns between gun activity and gun sales," said Kelly. "We'll certainly strengthen prosecutions and t will deter store purchases."

Opponents also say that microstamping technology has not yet been proven to work.

Bloomberg would not comment on any other topic besides microstamping or budget issues.