Calif. Law Takes Effect On Microstamping Guns
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A California law that requires all semiautomatic handguns to be equipped with technology that stamps a code with the weapon's make, model and serial number on bullet casings is now in effect after years of delays.
Though the law was signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2007, it couldn't be implemented because of patents on the technology.
Attorney General Kamala Harris announced on Friday that the California Department of Justice no longer had a patent issue.
The law doesn't impact semiautomatic pistols already being sold legally and those on the state's firearm roster, only new models.
One gun rights group, the Calguns Foundation, extended a patent by paying a $555 fee to delay the law's implementation.
The group believes the law is effectively a ban on new guns because of the burdens on manufacturers.
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