A reader emails that the AP has picked up on the MD ballistic fingerprinting failure that I mentioned earlier: A law requiring Maryland State Police to collect ballistics information from each handgun sold in the state has not aided a single criminal investigation and should be repealed, a state police report has concluded. About $2.5 […]

Say Uncle’s post on ballistic fingerprinting drew an Instalanche the other day. Kevin of the Smallest Minority follows that up with a comprehensive examination of why “ballistic fingerprinting” won’t work as advertised. Kevin’s blog is stop #2 on Thibodeaux’s Daily Blogread, right after Say Uncle (of course). Great post, as always.

The Democrat and Chronicle has an article on New York’s attempt at ballistic fingerprinting (which will never work because you can always buy these and barrel ballistics change over time, particularly during the first 200 rounds) and a lawsuit against the system. Some interesting figures from the article: CoBIS has cost the state more than […]

Maryland scraps ballistic fingerprint program because, after 15 years and millions, it hasn’t had a single success. Ah, government. Keep doing it for 15 years without results because reasons.

He believes in ballistic fingerprinting plans that have failed in New York and Maryland. Update: BTW, I was unaware that Maryland has actually gotten one conviction from its database. Did not know that.

NY spent a bunch of money and time and effort on a database of ballistic fingerprints. Seven years later, the number of prosecutions from the database: zero. They should have just asked Maryland.

They could have just asked Maryland whose database has been expensive and, to date, has solved zero crimes. But the National Research Council affirms what SayUncle has said all along: Ballistic fingerprinting is a pipe dream.

Here are some responses to my little thought experiment that I proposed here. Quite a few folks said Sorry, unc, I ain’t playing because I’m one of those shall not be infringed guys. And that’s fine. I respect that. I’m just linking to responses. Most of these posts are well-reasoned and detailed (meaning longer than […]

Due to my doubts, reader has been forwarding me various accounts of allegations that the authorities went to people’s homes who had 223 rifles to harass them err ask permission to do ballistic fingerprinting: A CNS article where the press is there when the authorities show up. Here’s a TFL account of it and another […]

I mentioned before how I had always heard gunnies claim that, during the DC sniper incident, the police went to the houses of those who had 223 caliber rifles to do ballistic fingerprinting on them. I asked if anyone had an account. Ask, and ye shall receive. Reader Al sent this link: Prior to the […]

Standard Mischief takes a good long look at The NRA’s sooper-seekrit New Orleans judgment: You see, the NRA was widely criticized for not jumping in right away and filing a suit. I myself blogged, “… when the seize orders came down, and enough members called the NRA, they finally issued a wishy-washy press statement…”, yet […]

Robert Douglas is back sporting a new AKM with info on how to build your own. A detailed must read for any AK junkies out there. Head has the lowdown on cartridge sizes. In a follow up to Maryland’s ballistic fingerprinting kerfuffle, the legislature has proposed repealing the law. In Louisiana, the police can’t account […]

Like everyone who knew anything about guns predicted all along, the ballistic fingerprinting pipe dream doesn’t work: A report by the Maryland State Police that recommends repeal of a law requiring collection of ballistic imaging information “shatters one of the favorite myths of gun control extremists,” the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and […]

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