Ballistic Fingerprinting A Complete Failure

The much touted ballistic fingerprinting system—creating a giant database of fired cartridges and bullets—put into place in Maryland and New York has proven such a spectacular failure that the program's architects are recommending disbanding the units and reassigning the officers to the far more productive DNA database unit.

Here's he story from US Newswire:

In its progress report on the Integrated Ballistics Identification System (IBIS), the Maryland State Police Forensic Sciences Division recommends that "this program be suspended, a repeal of the collection of cartridge cases from current law be enacted and the Laboratory Technicians associated with the program be transferred to the DNA database unit." So far, Maryland has spent $2.5 million over the past four years, with nothing to show for it. The report admitted, "Guns found to be used in the commission of crime...are not the ones being entered into" the system. [my emphasis]

DUH! The National Shooting Sports Foundation made this very point before the test programs were put into place. I know that it's hard to believe, but felons don't seem to frequent gunstores.

You can download the whole report at the Packing.org webite. I suggest you download it, read it, then send a copy to the hapless, clueless folks at the Brady Center, which still clings to this take on ballistic fingerprinting:

We call on Congress and state legislatures to require every gun to be ballistic fingerprinted before it is sold so police would have a database for tracing crime guns. It is time to give police this important crime-solving tool.

One thing you can say for the anti-gun guys...they never let the facts get in the way of their fund-raising!