Together with Assemblyman Brian Kavanagh I hailed the passed on March 12. Microstamping would replace the existing, less effective Combined Ballistic Identification System (CoBIS), which the Governor has proposed to eliminate in his Executive Budget.
Microstamping allows law enforcement to trace firearms through shell casings found at crime scenes, even if the crime gun is never found. In passing microstamping, the Assembly heeded the call of gun violence victims and their families, anti-crime advocates, and law enforcement who have called for microstamping to be enacted in the budget due to be completed by the end of the month.
Microstamping is about public safety and placing criminals behind bars. This technology will save taxpayers’ dollars by enabling law enforcement to solve gun crimes quicker. At a time when government has to save money and be more efficient, microstamping will help reduce the number of man-hours needed to solve gun crimes. I praise my Assembly colleagues for realizing the urgent need for microstamping in New York State, and I strongly urge the State Senate and Governor to join us and include it in the final budget.
Last month, family members of gun violence victims, advocates, law enforcement officials and members of the Assembly and Senate, in their budget proposal.
Hundreds of gun-related crimes go unsolved each year in New York State because the crime gun is never recovered and police are unable to connect the shell casings left at the scene of a shooting to the criminal who pulled the trigger. 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.
Over 100 mayors and 80 law enforcement organizations and police departments from across the state have endorsed microstamping.
Michelle Schimel is the New York State Assembly representative for the 16th Assembly District. She was first elected in a Special Election held on March 27, 2007.
