Ballistic Prints on Guns To Be Kept

By TOM STUCKEY, Associated Press Writer

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) – The “ballistic fingerprint” of every new handgun
sold in Maryland will soon be stored on a state computer system.

State Police Superintendent David Mitchell said the system will give police an
important new tool to solve crimes in which guns are fired.

Beginning Oct. 1, new handguns shipped into Maryland must include the
casing from a bullet test performed by the manufacturer. Gun dealers will
have to provide the casing, with the name of the person buying the gun, to
state police when the weapon is sold.

Those unique markings left on the shell casings will be stored in the computer.

If a casing found at a crime scene matches a casing in the database, it “gives
us an instant lead,” Mitchell said.

The system was included in gun control legislation endorsed by Gov. Parris
Glendening and approved by the 2000 General Assembly.

The National Rifle Association and Maryland gun owners argued then that
the proposal could subject innocent people to criminal charges if their guns
were lost, stolen or used by someone else to commit a crime.

Mitchell said the casings would be only a starting point for investigators, who
are aware the casings do not prove that the owner of a gun committed a
crime.

On Wednesday, Forensic Technology Inc. of Rockville, Md., was awarded
a $1.8 million contract to install the system. About 30,000 handguns are sold
each year in Maryland.

The New York legislature passed a bill in June, sponsored by Republican
Gov. George Pataki, that also will require manufacturers to provide a casing
with new weapons sold in that state.