NY says "No" to more gun regulation. (That just sounds odd)

by Mark , Monday, April 02, 2012, 10:52 (4619 days ago)

http://portwashington.patch.com/articles/schimel-gun-lobby-impedes-crime-prevention-mea...

The powerful gun lobby's influence has once again prevented common
sense legislation that would provide law enforcement with a tool to
catch criminals. The New York State Assembly included microstamping
in their budget proposal in response to the Governor repealing CoBIS
[Combined Ballistic Identification System] in his executive
budget. The gun lobby has prevailed to keep microstamping out of the
final budget.

Case after case remain unsolved even though there is a preponderance
of evidence such as shell casings left behind at the scene of
neighborhood killings. These unsolved cases demand a solution that is
not unlike the metal stamping used on automobiles, vehicle
Identification numbers (VIN). The terrorist who left a Nissan
Pathfinder in Times Square in 2010 was identified through the car's
VIN number. The break in the case occurred when a NYPD Detective went
under the vehicle and obtained the hidden metal stamped VIN number,
which identified the owner of record, who in turn, sold it to the suspect.

Like the VIN number on a car, the sole purpose of microstamping is to
provide police with a more accurate method to track down the owner of
a gun that is used in a crime. The gun lobby's rallying cry is that
microstamping is another piece of legislation that takes away rights
from law abiding gun owners. This couldn't be further from the truth.

In a letter to Governor Cuomo, Remington, a large gun manufacturer in
Illinois, went so far as to threaten to leave the New York market if
the state implemented microstamping. This is tantamount to extortion.

Violent gun crime continues to spike. Law enforcement deaths are on
the rise. It is a sad day for New York when the gun lobby can trump
public safety once again.