Newsom Signs Microstamping Bill
By George Devinny. October 2, 2020
Once again, microstamping rears its ugly head. This time it is CA Gov. Gavin Newsom who has signed into law Assembly Bill 2847, which will further mandate that newer model semi-auto handguns be stamped, and is set to become law July 1, 2022. This subject has been discussed numerous times and remains in essence yet another continued 'gun control' ploy, along with such other things as keeping firearms locked up and unloaded, mandated use of trigger locks, magazine size limits, and background checks for ammunition purchases - to name just a few. From California Globe:
Gun manufacturers and firearm advocates denounced the decision, noting that it not only violates Second Amendment rights and would increase black market activity and and non-registered weapons in the state, but would also hurt economically during a time of economic downturn.
Since original microstamping requirements in 2013, which had to meet a list of safety requirements by the state Department of Justice to be sold to consumers, Smith & Wesson among other manufacturers such as Sturm Ruger, planned to cease sales to California. This effectively even then greatly limited the availability of new handguns and has effectively made for a virtual ban on modern handguns, resulting in guns being possibly obtained out of state or simply through various 'back door' sources.
Micostamping requires that a firing pin be produced with a unique microscopic pattern that imparts said pattern to a cartridge primer when fired, thus resulting in individual firearm registration to facilitate traceability of shell casings, and it is claimed, helping expedite prosecution of felonious shooting events - something yet to be proven as actually reliably working. Firearm companies have repeatedly resisted manufacturing with microstamping, due not least to major cost factors but also because of even being able to guarantee durability of the process.
The legislation is lauded of course in the predictable and usual ways - From California Globe:
"Today, Gov. Newsom prioritized common-sense reforms and public safety to protect all Californians," Brady president Kris Brown said in a statement. "The passage of a bill to implement microstamping technology on new models of semiautomatic pistols is evidence of just that, coming over a decade after the state first passed a microstamping requirement that the gun industry has resisted ever since. That law will now aid law enforcement in solving crimes and preventing violence throughout the state for years to come."
"Common sense reforms" is one regularly over played statement (which can often include the old favorite "reasonable") and also the dubious claim that violence prevention is addressed - these are purely 'feelgood' factors and little more while going further to penalize good people. It is not impossible to consider that other ways may be found to circumvent microstamping, such as replacing a firing pin, 'modifying' the tip, and even resorting to use of only revolvers. Work-arounds could inevitably come into play!
However you slice it, this is a poorly conceived law which mandates the unproven and unreliable concept of microstamping, and makes it impossible for Californians to have access to the best products with the latest innovations, let alone having options reduced for the innate right of self defense.
