Gun Database Fails

[ronwill]

You may have noticed a spent cartridge with new guns purchased in the last couple of years. This was to build up a database for "crime fighting" and it seems, at least in the two states using it, that it is failing miserably. This is for many reasons well known before the millions of dollars were spent on developing it. The story:

Baloney Ballistics: Gun databases fail - Reason Magazine

[gpbarth]

And it is so easy to change barrels, and firing pins, that almost anyone can do it. There goes the database. It was a fool-hardy idea in the first place, and it will fail like any other lame-brained idea.

[tattedupboy]

Ballistic fingerprints, unlike people fingerprints, can be very easily changed, by changing the barrel, changing the rifling of the barrel with a file, or by any of a number of other various means.

[mot mayhem]

I was under the ass-umption that the spent cartridge was showing that the weapon had passed being test fired @ the factory. ..... along w/ also being a spent cartridge for me to keep for my records if the weapon was lost/stolen. ( I did know how easy it is to change ballistics, but never figured if someone stole my weapon they would go through the trouble to change the parts. I just ass-umed they would use it.)

[tattedupboy]

Let's also not forget that revolvers don't eject spent shell casings, so it would be quite easy to empty out the chamber into the palm of one's hand and keep them. Also, for pump action shotguns and bolt action rifles, someone could fire a single shot and clear the chamber later, again, keeping the spent casing. I'm not even a criminal, but I can think of so many ways to get around the ballistic fingerprint database that I don't really see the point of spending so much money to maintain it.