Gun Control: Report Faults Md. Ballistics Database
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Headline is linked, from The Washington Post (info also available via The Washington Times and other sources):
Report Faults Md. Ballistics Database
Investigators Not Aided, State Police Conclude
By David Snyder
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 18, 2005; Page B01
A Maryland law requiring state police to collect ballistics data on every handgun sold in the state is ineffective and expensive and should be repealed, according to a report by the Maryland State Police.
Police have gathered information from more than 43,000 guns since the law was adopted in 2000, but the data have not significantly aided a single criminal investigation, according to the report. The study was compiled last year by the state police forensic sciences division and distributed to state legislators late last week.
"It's not yielding any results," said Sgt. Rob Moroney, a state police spokesman. "The program simply has not met expectations and does not aid in the mission statement of the department of police."
Maryland and New York are the only states with laws establishing a database on ballistics "fingerprints" -- the unique markings left on shell casings when a gun is fired. Those markings can then be traced to a single gun. The Maryland program has cost $2.6 million, according to the report.
Gun-control advocates and some law enforcement officials have hailed the legislation as an effective tool because it can help police trace evidence from a crime scene to specific weapons.
The recent report represents a significant departure from a 2003 state police report, which called the ballistics database "a powerful weapon in law enforcement's arsenal against crime." That report acknowledged that the system has flaws but said it should continue.
"No investigative tool is absolutely perfect or will function as anticipated during every use," the 2003 report said.
Moroney said the change resulted from the realization that the program has not aided law enforcement. "There was no influence from anybody in the administration" of Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R), Moroney said.
... more at linked article
So, this Glendening era gun-control "tool" has proven itself basically useless?
I'm actually very much a moderate about gun-control type issues. Though people might find it hard to believe, I don't think it's wrong to require people to get a gun license and fire-arms safety training before being able to purchase a gun. I don't think it's bad to require a waiting period and a background check before being permitted to buy a gun.
I do, however, think it's wrong for a state (like Maryland, as an example) to toss out their own gun-control legislation that would have required training because the training would have been (potentially) done by NRA advocates and members. If the NRA can do the best job, then let them do it. I also very much think that municipalities like NYC and Washington DC are wrong in creating their own gun-control laws that prevent legitimate gun owners from being permitted to buy or own a weapon.
As it turns out, I actually liked the idea of a ballistics database, but I'm also smart enough to have known in advance it would probably (as it seems to be proving) not be a useful tool. Why not? Because the criminals with guns don't typically get their guns via legitimate dealers. They get guns that werre imported into their area bypassing all of these restrictions and requirements, so the criminal's guns wind up not in the databases to get any "hits" on when the guns are used for illicit purposes.
Report Faults Md. Ballistics Database
Investigators Not Aided, State Police Conclude
By David Snyder
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 18, 2005; Page B01
A Maryland law requiring state police to collect ballistics data on every handgun sold in the state is ineffective and expensive and should be repealed, according to a report by the Maryland State Police.
Police have gathered information from more than 43,000 guns since the law was adopted in 2000, but the data have not significantly aided a single criminal investigation, according to the report. The study was compiled last year by the state police forensic sciences division and distributed to state legislators late last week.
"It's not yielding any results," said Sgt. Rob Moroney, a state police spokesman. "The program simply has not met expectations and does not aid in the mission statement of the department of police."
Maryland and New York are the only states with laws establishing a database on ballistics "fingerprints" -- the unique markings left on shell casings when a gun is fired. Those markings can then be traced to a single gun. The Maryland program has cost $2.6 million, according to the report.
Gun-control advocates and some law enforcement officials have hailed the legislation as an effective tool because it can help police trace evidence from a crime scene to specific weapons.
The recent report represents a significant departure from a 2003 state police report, which called the ballistics database "a powerful weapon in law enforcement's arsenal against crime." That report acknowledged that the system has flaws but said it should continue.
"No investigative tool is absolutely perfect or will function as anticipated during every use," the 2003 report said.
Moroney said the change resulted from the realization that the program has not aided law enforcement. "There was no influence from anybody in the administration" of Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R), Moroney said.
... more at linked article
So, this Glendening era gun-control "tool" has proven itself basically useless?
I'm actually very much a moderate about gun-control type issues. Though people might find it hard to believe, I don't think it's wrong to require people to get a gun license and fire-arms safety training before being able to purchase a gun. I don't think it's bad to require a waiting period and a background check before being permitted to buy a gun.
I do, however, think it's wrong for a state (like Maryland, as an example) to toss out their own gun-control legislation that would have required training because the training would have been (potentially) done by NRA advocates and members. If the NRA can do the best job, then let them do it. I also very much think that municipalities like NYC and Washington DC are wrong in creating their own gun-control laws that prevent legitimate gun owners from being permitted to buy or own a weapon.
As it turns out, I actually liked the idea of a ballistics database, but I'm also smart enough to have known in advance it would probably (as it seems to be proving) not be a useful tool. Why not? Because the criminals with guns don't typically get their guns via legitimate dealers. They get guns that werre imported into their area bypassing all of these restrictions and requirements, so the criminal's guns wind up not in the databases to get any "hits" on when the guns are used for illicit purposes.