I am not anti-gun. (I’m not pro-gun, either.) I grew up shooting rifles. I don’t own a gun (nor will I) and I do not understand the allure of owning tanks, rocket launchers, or automatic weapons–gunning down Bambi with an AK-47 makes no sense to me. (On the other hand, I do understand the allure of firecrackers and blowing things up–anyone who has ever seen my husband and Teresa Nielsen Hayden on 4th of July will understand why I understand.) I believe in licensing and gun education, and I’ve been intrigued by the sorts of proposals that suggest bullet control rather than gun control (on the theory that guns don’t kill people, bullets do).

So I am rather piqued by the technology inherent in a Contra Costa County bill that just passed, which would require that guns tag ammunition. From 2010 on, each gun sold in Contra Costa County will have a microscopic stamp on the firing pin which will imprint the gun’s make, model and (perhaps) serial number on each bullet as it’s fired. In cases of homicide and gun violence, this would be of considerable value in tracking the weapon and, thus, the Bad Guy.

I am particularly amused by pro forma objections of the director of the California Gun Owners Association, who protested that “a few swipes with sandpaper” would get rid of the stamp. Wouldn’t a person buying a gun for totally licit purposes, for target shooting or home defense, be happy signing his work? Why would such a person sand off the firing pin stamp? As for Bad Guys, I’m not convinced that most of them are smart enough or organized enough to remember to sand off the firing pin. Maybe I read too many Batman comics when I was a kid: you know, “criminals are a cowardly and superstitious lot,” not to mention not very bright. And if this bit of technology allows the law to track down more of the guns, and thus more of the shooters, in violent gun crime, wouldn’t everyone be in favor of it?

Also, I just think it’s cool tech.

Just a quick note to those of us needing a good screen capture program for PC. I use SnagIt a lot in blogging, to capture snapshots from vids, for instance. SnagIt is considered the Best of Breed for screencap. This is a slightly older version, but still incredibly useful. Follow the forum thread here:

FatWallet - Free SnagIt

I don’t know how long this one will last, so grab it now. If you look carefully at the FatWallet thread, you may notice that you can get this thing without actually registering and giving out precious personal info. Click the pic for more info on the program itself.