New Jersey lawmakers considering microstamping proposal as part of new gun laws
NEWARK, N.J. - Lawmakers in New Jersey are considering toughening up gun laws.
Among the proposals is something called microstamping. It would be required on new semiautomatic pistols sold in the state.
CBS2's Nick Caloway got a demonstration Tuesday of exactly what microstamping looks like, at a police gun range in Newark, where shots rang out, and shell casings fall.
Left behind on the shells is a mark not visible to the naked eye.
Todd Lizotte is co-inventor of the microstamping technology. He explains lasers imprint tiny markings, like a serial number, on a firing pin. That marking is stamped onto the primer of a bullet casing when the gun is fired. The idea is when a shell casing is found at a crime scene, police would be able to link it back to the firearm, and who purchased it.
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence hosted the demonstration in Newark, hailing the proposal as a way to reduce gun violence. The measure has support from the governor, and Acting Attorney General Matthew Platkin.
"This isn't a threat to the Second Amendment. All we are trying to do is make sure that we get as much information about who is in possession of these firearms when they're used in the commission of crimes," Platkin said.
A microstamping law was passed more than a decade ago in California, yet gun manufacturers are still not complying with that law. But supporters say legislation written in New York and New Jersey can force the hands of gun manufacturers.
"The micro stamping bill would proactively make them do it," said Chrstiane Heyne of the Brady Campaign.
Firearm experts say law enforcement can already trace shell casings back to firearms, and some question how effective the law will be in actually preventing gun violence.
"I don't know how long these micro-engravings, laser engravings on a firing pin are even going to last. So it needs to be addressed scientifically," said John Jay College of Criminal Justice Assistant Professor Pete Diaczuk.
The creators of the microstamp technology say it has an accuracy greater than 90%.
The proposed New Jersey law would also create a handgun database. It's part of a bundle of gun reform laws being pushed by the governor.
A similar measure was passed earlier this month in New York.
Nick Caloway contributed to this report.