Microstamping bullets in NY...

[hudsonvalley]

Well, not the bullet, the primer actually....here's the letter I wrote about the waste of time and money...should hear if it will be printed, even though the paper is so far to the left, it's ready to fall off the edge of the world.....

June 18th 2010
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Section

MICROSTAMPING: A FEEL GOOD, DO NOTHING BIT OF LEGISLATION

What’s the controversy about microstamping? It won’t stop criminals in any way, shape or form.
The unique marking, which was mentioned in the June 18th editorial, is not imprinted on the shell casing but on the primer. Maybe the writer of that editorial can please tell us how many components make up a cartridge? I don’t think so…and that, unfortunately, leads us to the real problem….ignorant people making the rules. We need enforcement and education, and definitely not another money wasting program. Did someone say CoBIS?
CoBIS, Combined Ballistic Identification System , has been around for 10 years and $30,000,000 in tax payers money….How many criminals has CoBIS put behind bars? None, as in: zero…zip, zilch. CoBIS, has been nothing but a waste of time and hard to come by resources. Microstamping, if it passes, will be more of the same.
Microstamping will hurt New York’s economy. Legal civilian firearm sales topped 12 Billion taxable dollars last year. Gun manufacturers in NYS may stop manufacturing because of a bad law. People out of work and less revenue for the state…all for something that won’t stop a single crime. Good job Albany, good job.


http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/second-amendment-gun-legislation-discussion/107511-new-york-gun-owners-need-your-help.html
http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/second-amendment-gun-legislation-discussion/106531-june-8th-maybe-beginning-end-nyrs.html
http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulletin/second-amendment-gun-legislation-discussion/106671-firearms-industry-launches-radio-blitz-stop-microstamping-nys-senate.html

[Bark'n]

Very cogent and informative letter. :congrats: I really like it. :hand10:

Good luck on them printing it. But hardly a wasted effort as someone will read it. It's just unlikely the target audience will have an opportunity.

However, if it is posted... We want to know about it! It will be a big positive.

[peckman28]

All great points. Too bad that in a place like NY they will likely fall on deaf ears...

[hudsonvalley]

It's NYC that rules here.....too many liberal reps......half the population of the state lives in NYC and Long Island....sad but not hopeless......we need hope.....without it there's nothing.

[Bark'n]

I agree... And I appreciate your letter. We need more like them to flood the media outlets. Especially in NY. Bloomberg loves to push anti-gun legislation in places he doesn't even have jurisdiction.

The people need a cogent message to explain the absurdity of these stupid money wasting measures.

However, like I said, I'd be surprised to see them published. But people within the media will be seeing them. Maybe an editor will have a brain fart and actually publish one, but I'm not gonna hold my breath either.

[hudsonvalley]

Microstamping law fails by 2 votes in NYS Senate.........yeah for our side. Please comment to crying Lib who wrote this article....


http://www.examiner.com/x-30197-Long-Island-Populist-Examiner~y2010m6d21-Microstamping-law-fails-by-2-votes-in-NYS-Senate-grassroots-push-is-on--before-next-vote
Why do Republican State Senators and a few Democrats want to coddle criminals? Why do they hate police officers? Why do some of the very "tough on law-and-order" crowd want to make it easier for criminals who have killed or maimed to escape capture or conviction, to kill or maim another day?

This is the question that should be asked after a law to require gun manufacturers of semi-automatic guns to be capable of microstamping an identifying number on ammunition was defeated by just two votes in New York's Senate last week.

On Tuesday, June 15, the microstamping bill, which was passed by the New York State Assembly in May, fell short of two votes in the State Senate. The Senators who voted no on this measure, including all seven of Long Island’s GOP Senators, sent a clear message to law enforcement officials and victims of gun violence and their families: You Don’t Matter!

State Senator Frank Padavan of Queens was the only Republican to make a principled vote in favor of microstamping; all the rest of the Republicans, led by Dean Skelos, voted against.

Three upstate Democrats - Sens. David Valesky, Darrel Aubertine and William Stachowski -.also showed themselves to be more supportive of gun manufacturers than police officers, in voting down the legislation.

Another Democrat, Sen. Marty Golden of Brooklyn, a former cop, ducked the chamber to avoid voting altogether.

The vote was pulled from the floor when the 32 votes to pass it weren’t there.

So, instead of taking the narrow loss as a defeat, the State Senate will have another chance to vote on it as early as this week, and, in a last desperate act to rally support, State Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel (D-Great Neck) and Senator Eric Schneiderman (D-Manhattan/Bronx) organized a press conference Saturday, June 19, while New Yorkers Against Gun Violence are organizing grass roots effort to press Senators to switch to "yes."

They were joined by Long Island hero NYPD Detective Steven McDonald, members of Long Island’s law enforcement community, and advocates to urge Long Island’s Senate Republicans to put the safety of the public before the interests of the Gun Lobby and vote yes on microstamping legislation (A.6468c/S.6005a).

Before the Senate vote on June 15, a bipartisan coalition of mayors, district attorneys, police officers and legislators joined together on the steps of the Capitol and implored the State Senate to vote yes on the bill. Speaker after speaker, including New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly, cited the efficacy of microstamping technology as an important tool to help police solve more gun crimes and reduce incidents of gun violence.

But some questioned the timing as being ineffective to affect the vote.

Schimel had been confident that this time, the measure she has championed for more than a year would pass the Senate. But after failing narrowly by a vote of 30-32, Schimel said she was appalled by the actions of the Senate Republicans, who, with one exception, joined three upstate Democratic Senators to send a message to police, mayors, gun victims and their families that they don’t matter.

A microstamp occurs when a round is fired by a semiautomatic handgun imprinting every shell casing with an alphanumeric code that allows investigators to trace the gun that fired it. The bill passed in the Assembly last month.

Senator Eric Schneiderman, the bill’s sponsor in the Senate who is running for Attorney General, brought the microstamping legislation to the Senate floor for a vote. A vote in the Senate on a crime prevention bill of this kind has not been held for more than a decade - defeated time after time in committee.

"The bill’s opponents chose the special interests of the gun lobby over the professional judgment of police and district attorneys, who spend their careers building cases against criminals," Schimel said.

Assemblywoman Schimel gave an impassioned speech to an audience that included her longtime fellow advocates NYPD hero Detective Steven McDonald and his wife, Patty, who is the Mayor of Malverne.

“The Second Amendment was not written for criminals," Schimel said. "No killer has the right to hide behind a blank shell casing….The break in the case of the Time Square terrorist took place when the New York City detective went under the vehicle and got the hidden metal stamped VIN number. Likewise, microstamping would apply a similar technology and crime solving capability to a semiautomatic handgun.”

Detective Steven McDonald gave the most compelling testimony, sitting in his wheelchair and breathing through a ventilator. He reminded his fellow officers of the shooting 24 years ago that changed his life, and the life of his family. He told the assembled, “The bullet left him only with a voice.” Despite Detective and Mayor McDonald’s personal visits to Senator Martin Golden, a retired NY police officer, and Senate minority leader Dean Skelos, the Senators did not have the courage or conviction to vote for this common sense legislation.

But the advocates of microstamping did not take the setback as defeat.

“The events of June 15 have made me even more determined to pass microstamping legislation in New York State,” Schimel declared, standing among members of Long Island’s law enforcement community at Nassau University Medical Center on Saturday, June 19.

“I am sad, sad for the police who lose so many brave officers to gun violence, sad for the Mayors who attend the funerals of the victims, and sadder still for the victims and their families who hoped and trusted that their elected officials would do the right thing by the people. I will work harder than I have ever worked to make sure Long Island communities stay safe and end the scourge of criminals with guns. I will continue to stand with the police and victims who suffer because of illegal guns and untraceable shell casings.”

Assemblywoman Schimel and Senator Schneiderman’s microstamping legislation (A.6468c/S.6005a) requires all semiautomatic pistols manufactured or delivered to any licensed firearms dealer in the State of New York to be capable of microstamping ammunition by January 1, 2012. The bill will not place any restrictions on gun ownership or access, will not require any new databases, and will not impose any new costs on the state. Manufacturers will incur minimal costs to adopt this technology.

Schneiderman, Chairman of the Senate Codes Committee, said, “With the bipartisan support of over 100 New York State mayors and 83 police departments and law enforcement organizations, microstamping is the tool we need to help investigate, arrest, and convict violent criminals and exonerate the innocent. It’s time to put politics aside and put public safety first. It’s time to pass microstamping in New York State.”

Microstamping ensures that when a gun is fired, information identifying the make, model and serial number of the gun is stamped onto the cartridge as numbers and letters. This technology allows law enforcement officials to trace firearms through cartridge casings found at crime scenes, even if the crime gun is never found.

In other words, this law has nothing to do with gun control. It is about law enforcement. It is about protecting lives.

NYPD Detective Steven McDonald, who was injured by gun violence in the line of duty, spoke about the importance of microstamping technology.

“Twenty-four years ago, I was shot in the line of duty while on patrol in Central Park," Det. McDonald said. "The incident has left me quadriplegic and reliant on a respirator to breathe. While I am fortunate to have survived the incident, many victims of gun violence do not. At least five people were shot to death throughout Nassau County this past week. Meanwhile, in Albany, seven of our nine Long Island State Senators were voting against a measure to help police track down the criminals who fire deadly weapons. I urge these Senators to change their position and pass Microstamping before the end of the legislative session. The clock is ticking, and we must do everything we can to catch gun criminals before they kill again.”

According to Nassau County Police Commissioner Lawrence Mulvey, “It is important that we remain proactive in our fight against crime in general and specifically against gun violence, which we are seeing more of these days. As Police Commissioner of Nassau County I am always looking for ways to deter and prevent crime. Microstamping would be a valuable investigative tool that would assist our Detectives with solving crimes committed within our great county.”

New York State needs Microstamping on semi-automatic pistols, the number one gun used by criminals. Nationally, nearly 40% of all homicide cases go unsolved each year, often because there is no gun found at the crime scene, only blank shell casings.

“Microstamping of semiautomatic weapons would be a great investigative tool. Cartridges left at a crime scene could easily be traced to a specific firearm. This technology will create rapid leads that will help police investigators make arrests and take criminals off our streets,” said Chief William Kilfoil, President of the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police and Chief of the Port Washington Police District.

Microstamping technology will help reduce gun trafficking of new semiautomatic handguns by creating accountability. Legal purchasers who buy guns for traffickers, also known as straw buyers, will be deterred once they know crimes committed with these guns can be traced back to them. This crime-fighting tool will provide law enforcement with rapid leads and will provide evidence to help investigate, arrest, and convict more perpetrators of gun-related crimes.

Monsignor Brendan Riordan of St. Aloysius Roman Catholic Church in Great Neck, representing Bishop William Murphy of the Diocese of Rockville Centre at the press conference, said, “The illegal use of handguns deprives our communities of the peace we need so that our children grow to their full potential. Children and adults are harmed and killed by persons using guns illegally and all of us suffer from that violence and destruction. Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel is to be commended for her continuing efforts to protect our communities from violence.”

“The New York State Senate has the power to help police solve more crimes and must vote YES on Microstamping legislation," said Jackie Hilly, Executive Director of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence. “Police, District Attorneys and Mayors from all around New York State have asked for this important investigative tool to help solve crimes and put criminals behind bars. It is time for New York Senators to act in the public interest and enact this important legislation.”

The organizers hoped that there would be another shot at a vote as early as this week, before the State Legislative session is scheduled to end for the year. The Legislature is likely to be held two weeks longer because of its inability, so far, to pass a budget.

If microstamping legislation fails in the Senate this legislative session, it would have to go through the Assembly all over again, in the new Legislative term.

Grassroots efforts are being mobilized to make calls and get people to contact their Senators to vote "Yes" on microstamping, led by New Yorkers Against Gun Violence.

Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy, who entered politics after her husband was murdered and her son maimed by the Long Island Railroad gunman, Assemblywoman Schimel, Executive Director of New Yorkers Against Violence Jackie Hilly, and advocates from around Long Island were at Long Island Railroad stations handing out flyers to commuters in both Senators Hannon and Fuschillo’s Senate Districts on Monday, June 21.

The microstamping legislation has received support from major newspapers throughout New York State, including New York Times, Newsday, Daily News, Albany Times Union, and Buffalo News.

Karen Rubin, Long Island Populist Examiner

[OMEGA2669]

Well... as long as the microstamping legislation receives support from major news papers...

It amazes me how far up the ass liberals are capable of sticking their heads.

[walvord]

An absolute miracle that something like this didn't pass in NY. They'll keep at it until it passes.

[hudsonvalley]

Confirmed for tomorrows edition......whether or not it falls on deaf (and dumb) ears is something else....but, we must continue the pressure or 'they' will legislate 'us' out of our liberties......

[Sunday]

What paper is it being published in?

[hudsonvalley]

They lied to me....not in today's...I'll check tomorrow and post accordingly...the bastards..well...I'm really not that angry....this paper is a liberal sandbox that sometimes they allow us to play in.....

[hudsonvalley]

In today's paper...not on line yet...a paper that has far left leanings...on occasion one of 'us' gets through....maybe on Editor's day off.....