Posted by Eugene Volokh:
An Odd Sort of Gun Control Proposal:
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2009_03_08-2009_03_14.shtml#1236798215
[1]Tennessee House Bill 1924, proposed by [2]Rep. Henry Fincher:
(a) This section shall be known and may be cited as the �Second
Amendment Protection Act�
(b) As used in this section, �microstamped� means the technology by
which a laser or other device is used to make precise, microscopic
engravings on the internal mechanisms of a firearm for the purpose
of ballistic imprinting, such as the firing pin, breech face or
other internal mechanism, or the casing of a cartridge, so that
when the firearm is fired, information identifying the make, model
and serial number of the firearm, or the purchaser of the
ammunition, is stamped on the discharged cartridge case and can
then be matched to a specific firearm, purchaser or purchaser of
ammunition.
(c) It is a [misdeamanor] offense for a person licensed as a
firearm dealer under 18 U.S.C. § 923, to transfer, sell, deliver,
or offer for sale, delivery or transfer, in this state any new
firearm, as defined in § 39-11-106, or any firearm ammunition
knowing that the firearm or ammunition has been microstamped.
(d) The owner of a firearm or firearm ammunition lawfully acquired
may have such firearm or ammunition microstamped provided it was
not originally sold in a microstamped condition in this state.
So a gun dealer chooses to sell a microstamped gun, and a gun buyer is
perfectly willing to buy it, and that's a crime? I don't think that
microstamping mandates are likely to do much good, but I see little
justification for banning the sale of microstamped guns or ammunition
(as opposed to not mandating such sale).
I should note that I don't think that either microstamping bans or
microstamping mandates violate the right to keep and bear arms for
self-defense. (I haven't thought enough about the right to keep and
bear arms for other purposes to opine confidently on that, though I
suspect that they don't violate such a right, either.) But I don't see
a law controlling microstamped guns as sensible or just.
References
1. http://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/106/Bill/HB1924.pdf
2. http://www.capitol.tn.gov/house/members/h42.html
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