some interesting articles that I thought I would share…..
California Police Chiefs Association Calls for Firearms Microstamping Study
NEWTOWN, Conn. — In a recent letter to California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown, the California Police Chiefs Association (CPCA) expressed concern over the “hasty implementation” of firearms microstamping in California and called for further in-depth study of the technology before it is implemented by law in California.
In the letter, CPCA Acting President Susan E. Manheimer wrote, “There are too many unanswered questions with microstamping in its current iteration” and raised concerns that “statements about the capabilities of microstamping may have been technologically premature.” In 2007, CPCA supported legislation (AB 1471) to require firearms microstamping in California.
Firearms microstamping is the process by which firearms manufacturers would have to micro laser-engrave a gun’s make, model and serial number on two distinct parts of each gun, including the firing pin, so that in theory the information would be imprinted on the cartridge casing when the pistol is fired. Legislation mandating microstamping in California was signed into law in 2007 by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-Calif..) and was slated to take effect this New Year’s Day (2010); however, since the technology remains encumbered by patents it cannot be certified by the California Department of Justice and therefore has not been implemented.
The letter continues, “We support further research of microstamping in light of the new information that has surfaced since California passage of the legislation.Publicly available, peer-reviewed studies conducted by independent research organizations conclude that the technology does not function reliably and that criminals can remove the markings easily in mere seconds. We believe that these findings require examination prior to implementation.”
The CPCA also expressed concerns over implementing the technology during a very difficult budget environment and the negative impact on law enforcement budgets which are already under significant pressure.
December Background Check Stats
Data released by the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) reported 1,407,155 checks in December 2009, ranking the month in the top five for most NICS checks of all time.
This figure, while being a 7.6 percent decrease from the 1,523,426 checks conducted in December 2008 — the beginning stage of an ongoing surge in firearms and ammunition sales — is an increase of 14.4 percent over checks in December 2007.
Year-to-date background checks for 2009 total 14,033,824, an increase of 10.4 percent over the same time period last year. The total number of background checks reported since the beginning of NICS is 110,017,832.
Firearm Sales Up as Murders Drop
The FBI recently issued its preliminary 2009 crime report, showing that the number of murders in the first half of 2009 decreased 10 percent compared to the first half of 2008.
If the trend holds for the remainder of 2009, it will be the single greatest one-year decrease in the number of murders since at least 1960, the earliest year for which national data are available through the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Also, the per capita murder rate for 2009 will be 51 percent lower than the all-time high recorded in 1991, and it will be the lowest rate since 1963—a 46-year low.
Final figures for 2009 will be released by the FBI later this year.
According to gun control supporter dogma—”more guns means more crime”— the number of privately owned firearms must have decreased 10 percent in 2009. To the contrary, however, the number rose between 1.5 and 2 percent, to an all-time high.
For the better part of the last 15 months, firearms, ammunition, and “large” ammunition magazines have been sold in what appear to be record quantities. And, the firearms that were most commonly purchased in 2009 are those that gun control supporters most want to be banned— AR-15s, similar semi-automatic rifles, and handguns designed for defense.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation already estimates record ammunition sales in 2009, dominated by .223 Remington, 7.62x39mm, 9mm and other calibers widely favored for defensive purposes.
Glock Model 22 Still Popular Defense Choice
Simple. Lightweight. Fast. Reliable.
Ask Glock owners why they like their pistol so much, and the response is bound to include a couple of those descriptions. Glocks retained their popularity with both personal defense and recreational shooters.
The user-friendly Model 22 proved to be one of the most common Glocks sighted at the range. The .40 cal packs the punch of a big bore in a manageable package. It weighs only three pounds loaded. Recreational shooters can spend all day at the range without worry of being sore tomorrow.
Personal defense shooters can also appreciate the simplicity of the Model 22. Few moving parts translates into sturdy reliability.
mark mekenas mark@cannonbeachguns.com www.cannonbeachguns.com 503-436-0345