Sometimes I REALLY don't get the NRA

[DirtyMartini]

DanS -- the wiki page for firearm microstamping discusses the technology pretty extensively. Sounds like it is (arguably) pretty effective and relatively cheap

But here's something I hadn't thought of...

It would also be possible for someone planning a criminal act to obtain fired casings with markings from a shooting range, for planting at the scene of a planned crime, erroneously linking unrelated gun owners to the crime scene to introduce doubt in any subsequent jury trial. Likewise, range brass, acquired at a range and reloaded, would still be marked with confusing markings on the head of the cartridge case, even after reloading. As not all bullets recovered from crime scenes are intact, which can prevent matching striations, these twists would introduce considerable confusion in processing and prosecuting criminal

edit: xpost

[Eli]

Isn't this the usual "if you outlaw something, only outlaws will have it"? Law abiding citizens will not tamper with these microstamps, thus losing some of their freedom. Criminals, on the other hand, will do so, making the law useless.

[Dinner]

The NRA has always been against any sort of responsible regulation of gun ownership. They even sued claiming people should have a right to own machine guns and military hardware. Fortunately, they lost.

[Dinner]

Asking the NRA about anything to do with guns, like the effectiveness of microstamping, is like letting the tobacco companies decide if their product is safe and healthy.

[DanS]

That's an inappropriate simile. The NRA is a user's organization, not an industry organization.

[DirtyMartini]

Originally posted by DanS
The NRA is a user's organization, not an industry organization.

that's just naive

[Dinner]

Beyond naive.

[DanS]

OK, wise guys. How much money does the NRA obtain from its members and how much from the industry?

[snoopy369]

I'd also be curious about the industry ties, or lack thereof, of the board of the NRA ... that's just as relevant if not more so.

[SlowwHand]

Registering firearms is fought by many because it puts everyone's name on a list.
When the USA is over-run by Haiti, then the occupiers have a list.

[Elok]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
Registering firearms is fought by many because it puts everyone's name on a list.
When the USA is over-run by Haiti, then the occupiers have a list.

...Haiti? What's Haiti going to do, throw their AIDS-babies at us? Pick a more threatening country, which is to say pretty much any other country except the Vatican.

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
Registering firearms is fought by many because it puts everyone's name on a list.

The IRS already has that list.

[DirtyMartini]

Originally posted by snoopy369
I'd also be curious about the industry ties, or lack thereof, of the board of the NRA ... that's just as relevant if not more so.

I'll freely admit -- it's just speculation on my part. I just don't see how some of their policies make any sense except from the persective of gun sellers and manufacturers. Since the NRA is the most powerful lobby group in the nation, gun manufacturers wouldn't be doing their job if they didn't try to cozy up to the NRA leadership.

A quick google/wiki search on the NRA leadership didn't turn up anything though.

[DanS]

The IRS has the list of people who may have an interest to put up a fight. The list that NRA members think about is one that details those with the means to fight.

Ironically, in this regard, the NRA's membership list would probably do the Haitians just fine in a pinch.

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
Registering firearms is fought by many because it puts everyone's name on a list.
When the USA is over-run by Haiti, then the occupiers have a list.

Except this method doesn't connect the gun to the owner. Rather, it connects the bullets to the gun.

While the NRA raises an interesting argument: This microstamping can be frustrated and thus this money can be better spent in other aspects of law enforcement, I am more swayed by the fact that law enforcement wants this. I betcha law enforcement can better assess what they need than can the NRA.