from the nssf
Bad Technology, Bad Law NSSF continues to oppose California’s microstamping legislation By W. H. Gross
I
f you’re unfamiliar with the term as it applies to firearms, microstamping is the process by which a micro-laser engraves a unique alphanumeric code—a firearm’s make, model, and serial number—on the tip of the gun’s firing pin. In theory, that information is then imprinted on the back of the primer of each cartridge fired from that gun. Microstamped markings are only 25 microns deep, half the diameter of a human hair.
The concept was developed and patented over a decade ago by Todd Lizotte. His idea was that law enforcement officers could collect the empty cartridge casings left at a crime scene, then identify
and trace the specific gun that fired them. In 2007, a bill was introduced in the California legislature that would require firearms manufacturers to implement this technolo-
Microstamping remains an unproven technology that places an unnecessary burden on firearms manufacturers. Even the inventor of the process says it should not be mandated until it has been studied further.