Microstamping Fact Sheet

Submitted by admin on Wed, 04/20/2011 - 17:12

Information provided by The Coaltion to Stop Gun Violence.
For additional information, please see the full report, Microstamping Technology: Precise and Proven

Microstamping- The Future of Ballistics

What Is Microstamping?

  • Microstamping is a process in which lasers are used to engrave identifying markers on the internal mechanisms of the gun, such as the breech face and the firing pin.
  • As the gun is fired, information identifying the make, model and serial number of the gun is stamped onto the cartridge.
  • Microstamping is an inexpensive technology. (Approx. $.50 and $ 3.00 per surface.)

    • Improving Crime Solving

  • Microstamping will enable investigators to trace the cartridge casings found at a crime scene to the weapon of origin, providing them with a valuable lead.
  • At the majority of crime scenes involving shootings in Milwaukee, only shell casings - not the guns - were recovered.
  • Microstamping will generate information about an increased quantity of crime guns, which will help law enforcement officials gain a better understanding of the flow of illegally trafficked firearms.
  • Those who cannot pass a background check often recruit someone else to buy the gun. These “straw purchasers” will be less likely to engage in this activity, if they know the gun can be traced back to them.

    • Enhancing the Existing System

  • Currently investigators use unintentional markings left during the manufacturing process to link cartridge casings found at different crime scenes. The Integrated Ballistics Imaging System (IBIS) allows investigators to show that the same gun was used in two different crimes, but it cannot lead them to a specific weapon.
  • Microstamping does not have this limitation. Investigators will not have to find the gun to initiate a trace request.

    • Click here to view a PDF version of this fact sheet

    Information provided by The Coaltion to Stop Gun Violence.
    For additional information, please see the full report, Microstamping Technology: Precise and Proven: http://www.csgv.org/storage/documents/MICROSTAMPING-MEMO.pdf
    WAVE Educational Fund - www.WaveEdFund.org - (414) 351-9283

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