Micro-Stamping | Ballistic "Fingerprinting"

The concept of “micro-stamping” is that a firearm’s firing pin or other internal parts could imprint, onto fired ammunition cartridge cases, unique microscopic codes, that the codes could be entered into a computerized database before the firearm leaves the factory, and that police investigators could pick up a cartridge case left at a crime scene, identify the markings on the case, run them against the database, and identify the criminal involved.

However, micro-stamping has repeatedly failed in tests, micro-stamped markings are easily removed, most guns do not automatically eject fired cartridge cases, only new guns—a small percentage of all guns—would be micro-stamped, most gun crimes cannot be solved by micro-stamping, most crimes don’t require micro-stamping to be solved, and most criminals get guns through unregulated channels that would not be affected by a micro-stamping requirement.

In 2008, the National Academy of Sciences evaluated the feasibility, accuracy and technical capability of a possible national database of so-called “ballistic images” from new guns sold in the United States. Citing a number of factors, the evaluation concluded, “A national reference ballistic image database should not be established.”