March 25, 2009
Suder, Grothman Blast Proposed
“Microstamp Mandate” on
All Handgun Purchases
Lawmakers Say Proposal Could Increase Handgun Costs by as much as $200
MadisonGun owners would be forced to pay an additional cost as much as $200 to cover an unproven tracking mechanism on firearms and ammunition if a proposal from two Milwaukee Democrats is signed into law. According to Rep. Scott Suder (R-Abbotsford) and Sen. Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend), this “Microstamp Mandate” amounts to an unfair tax and an undue burden, forcing responsible gun owners to help pay for investigations into crimes they didn’t commit.
“This bill reeks of hypocrisy,” Suder said. “We don’t charge a ‘tire tax’ to look into hit-and-run drivers, and we don’t charge restaurants more for their knives just because knives are sometimes used to stab people. I’m all for criminal investigation, and I’m all for measures that are proven to bring about justice. I just don’t think we should force people to pay a fine for crimes they didn’t commit.”
“Microstamping” is the process of engraving a firearm’s make, model, and serial number on the tip of the firing pin, so that the information is, theoretically, transferred to the cartridge when the gun is fired. According to Suder and Grothman, the authors of the “Microstamp Mandate” (Rep. Leon Young (D-Milwaukee) and Sen. Spencer Coggs (D-Milwaukee)) claim that this technology would help law enforcement reduce crime by providing track-back abilities for spent rounds left at the scene of a crime. However, the lawmakers said that microstamping can be easily bypassed with a few household tools, the engraved pins can be easily replaced with unmarked pins, and that since the stamp is made on the cartridge, not the bullet, criminals can simply pick up and walk away with the incriminating evidence.
"The real motive of this proposal is clear - to prevent people from owning guns,” Grothman said. “But because that would not be politically viable at this time, the hard left will try to start by keeping guns out of the hands of the poor and the most vulnerable citizens. Founding father George Mason said the best way to enslave people is to disarm them, and that is the way our country is going."
Suder and Grothman said that research on microstamping has thus far shown the technology to be faulty at best. Forensic experts at University of California-Davis concluded that microstamping was a “flawed technology” and they recommended that the California Legislature not mandate microstamping handguns until substantial improvements were made to the process. The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute estimated that the price of firearms could be increased by as much as $200 if a microstamp mandate were to pass in California. The lawmakers said that Wisconsin consumers could expect a similar increase in firearms prices if the bill were to pass here.
Suder and Grothman said they will work with members on both sides of the aisle to defeat this misguided proposal that seeks to increase costs on law-abiding gun owners simply to provide a flawed and unproven benefit.
If you should have any further questions on this issue,
please feel free to contact any of the representatives listed on the release.
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