SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
A group in Washington is promoting an initiative to reduce gun crime by using laser-etched bullets to track shooters. According to their website, the data will only be used for legitimate investigations (no datamining) and secured with "recursive verification" features (sounds like a blockchain). Washington state already requires ammunition purchasers to produce valid ID when making purchases. Googling reveals that previous efforts by state legislatures to enact similar legislation have been torpedoed by the gun lobby. Initiatives are not subject to lobbying, so it should be interesting to see how the opposition tackles this campaign.
http://dosomethingwa.org
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-guns-ammunition-idUSBRE90J02K20130120
http://igg.me/at/dosomethingwa
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 10 2016, @08:24AM
umm, no. he exposed that this would not work at all for violent crime, since those users of bullets would simply make sure to make their own. if you go out to rob people at gun point, it's easy to get the ammo from some friends rather than buying it from a store.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by maxwell demon on Wednesday February 10 2016, @09:10AM
I guess it would also open up a new business opportunity for criminal organizations: Smuggling of non-etched bullets. Most of the world is not bound by American laws.
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 10 2016, @10:07AM
Oh you know, they will break in and rob people of their bullets (just like the break in to steal guns now). That way the poor SOB who bought the bullets legitimately would be the prime suspect in any crimes committed with the tagged bullets.
(Score: 2) by tibman on Wednesday February 10 2016, @03:24PM
Or just dremel/grind the etching away.
SN won't survive on lurkers alone. Write comments.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday February 10 2016, @03:51PM
It's easier to make new bullets, than trying to alter bullets. Tampering with those bullets could possibly cause one to go off in your face - not likely, but possible. Far more likely is that a carelessly altered bullet lodges in the chamber or barrel of the gun, causing the firearm to explode. Barring any accidents, your altered bullets will no longer fit as precisely into the chamber and barrel, thus becoming far less accurate. Did I mention that it's easy-peasy just to make your own bullets? Lead can be melted on a kitchen stove. Molds are available on the internet. Brass, primers, and powder are all available online. The press is a little expensive, but it's also available online. Measuring tools cost little. Any wannabe criminal or criminal's helper can set up and make bullets for a living.
Hail to the Nibbler in Chief.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by kurenai.tsubasa on Wednesday February 10 2016, @05:01PM
For some reason your post made me want to link to The Gunsmith of Williamsburg [youtu.be]. (All though, that's probably a terrorist video these days since it shows how to manufacture a gun and bullets from raw materials /s.)
(Score: 2) by tibman on Wednesday February 10 2016, @05:06PM
So smelting metal ingots, pouring them into a mold, pressing the new bullet into a shell that you have cleaned and pressed a new primer into and deposited a carefully measured amount of gunpowder into... is easier than filing a laser etch off?
SN won't survive on lurkers alone. Write comments.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday February 10 2016, @06:26PM
It has already been noted by another poster that the laser markings go into the tail of the bullet. You'll have to remove the bullet from the brass, do your filing or dremeling, then put the bullet back into the casing. The removal and replacement of that bullet, without resizing that casing, will likely damage either the bullet or the casing. Additionally, you have upset the ballistics of that bullet by carving into it. It may or may not fly true with scallops cut into the end of it. But, why go to all that bother, when it really is easy to produce your own without any markings?
Added benefit of making your own: you can "wildcat" the load, if you're into that sort of thing. Just add a few grains of gunpowder, and your rounds are considerably more powerful, as well as more accurate. Or, if you really want to get wild, add even more powder, turning it into a cannon. Of course, the hotter the load, the more dangerous it is to YOU. Not only will the barrel of the firearm wear out quicker, but the possibility of a round exploding in the chamber increases.
Hail to the Nibbler in Chief.
(Score: 2) by tibman on Wednesday February 10 2016, @07:39PM
Ballistics don't matter as much as you think. So much of the ammo i shoot is dinged up or with the bullet not perfectly seated (slightly tilted to one side). The bullet tips are very roughly painted to denote it's construction and/or capabilities. That paint is often partially scratched off. Bullets aren't even close to perfectly shaped. The butt end matters even less. The hot gasses often melt a hole right in the ass of the bullet (if it doesn't have a full-metal jacket, even then it may not cover the back-side). If you get a wicked ricochet (that lands near you) you can pick up the bullet with pliers and take a look. Liquid metal (lead) may be dripping out of the backside. I've had it happen with very high powered weapons. No idea if pistol ammo does the same thing. Anyways, bullet shape and defects don't affect accuracy as much as you think. Just look at hollow point. Or carve up some of your ammo the next time you go to the range.
You made good points but i don't think a criminal would do all of that. They'd just use pliers to remove the bullet, file off the etching, and re-seat the round (maybe even with a weak glue). No special tools required.
Did a quick youtube search. This guy pulls bullets with an empty case, doesn't even use pliers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVaE_LKmjPc [youtube.com] This guy here loads the bullets backwards: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZAyhv0xqUI [youtube.com]
SN won't survive on lurkers alone. Write comments.
(Score: 2) by Tork on Wednesday February 10 2016, @03:45PM
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 11 2016, @03:37AM
No, the point is that this is all ridiculous.
Any serious shooter already reloads. I know half a dozen I can think of (I know, I counted) who make their own bullets as well, and you can buy bulk bullets from outside your own state.
Shooters do it for a number of reasons: cost savings, improved accuracy, specialised purposes.
So, yeah, this is based in a fantasy world. And laws based in fantasies ultimately do everybody a disservice.