AB 1471 (Feuer )

AB 1471 requires that all new models of semiautomatic handguns sold in California after January 1, 2010 be equipped with a microscopic array of characters that identify the make, model and serial number of the gun. These characters are laser etched onto the guns internal parts and are stamped on each cartridge case when the handgun is fired.  This new technology is called “microstamping”.   The markings are in multiple locations and live fire testing has shown that they resist tampering and normal wear.  Manufacturers will incur modest costs to adopt the new technology. The increased manufacturing cost is anticipated to be between fifty cents and one dollar per firearm.  If the cost of the technology is passed on to the consumer, it is expected to be less than one percent of the cost of the handgun.

• No arrest is made in approximately 45 percent of all homicides in California because police lack the evidence they need.
• Of the approximately 2400 homicides in California per year (2004 DOJ data), over 60 percent are committed with handguns.

Microstamping technology will allow law enforcement to positively link used cartridge casings recovered at crime scenes to the crime gun.  AB 1471 will help law enforcement catch killers and stop gun traffickers.

AB 1471 will help reduce gang violence and gun trafficking.  In instances of drive-by shootings, where the only evidence at the crime scene may be a spent cartridge case, law enforcement could quickly obtain a critical lead.  Microstamping technology will help curb the illegal flow of weapons to violent teens and gang members by providing a link to the last legal possessor, who may also be a “straw buyer”.  These gun traffickers will be deterred once they understand that crimes committed with the guns will be traced directly back to them.