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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: 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]
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