1. I dunno; I don’t really mind being asked to provide information to the police on a voluntary basis, after a crime is committed against me, that might help them solve the crime. I already do half of what they ask, in that I keep a detailed record book of serial numbers, when and where I bought a gun, etc. for both my records and to provide to insurance and police if something happens to them. My reloads probably have all the ballistic markings they’d need too.

   Now, of course, I absolutely am opposed to this information being a priori registered with the government, or being required in any way, but simply asking citizens to think ahead and be prepared to provide useful information if needed seems reasonable.

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   1. But why the casings? serial number, yes, but the casings are being retrieved from a crime scene where the gun is not present. So what is the use other than sack you with the blame?

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      1. Perhaps they want to identify a found gun where the serial number had been obliterated? (Police/detective work isn’t my field.)

         I figure that, in a situation where a gun has been stolen, helping the police as best as one can with the investigation is probably best for everyone. Sure beats not knowing anything about it, which doesn’t help the investigation at all nor get your property returned.

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         1. AZ, I think you’re an optimist. I’m long past the point of ever assuming good faith when looking at a gun law (except for the rare ones that clearly remove a restriction). There is indeed a theoretical possibility that this bill is well intended, but with about a century of history I cannot imagine any reason to make that assumption.

2. Obligatory reference to slippery slope. How long before “we would like you to..” becomes “You must obey or face Jail” when voluntary compliance levels soar to less than 1%?

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   1. Yeah, that’s one of my concerns as well.

      My feeling of “it couldn’t hurt, and might help the investigation” is completely contingent on this being a voluntary, after-the-fact thing.

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3. I’m seeing an exploit for reloaders who feel a desire to f*** with the system. Say you have three or four handguns of the same caliber. Keep your casings and reload them, and if possible make sure you run them at least once through each of your guns.

   And your friends’ guns.

   Doubly so if there are any PCCs (pistol-caliber carbines) in the neighborhood.

   And remove the spent primers before submitting.

   IOW, submit casings so chock-full of “identifying marks” that the analysts can’t tell what’s what or which came from what firearm, and with no firing pin impact marks. Kind of like providing a DNA sample by having everyone you know (and some you don’t) spit into the same cup, except better (DNA analysts can usually isolate unique strands in a “mixed” sample; much harder when a casing has been cycled through God-only-knows how many guns).

   (Naturally, assume this to be tongue-in-cheek, unless such forensic samples become mandatory. If that happens, call it “malicious compliance.”)

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4. Didn’t Maryland have a system that required sending a fired casing to the state police for every new gun sold? This was dropped about a year ago after they realized they had spent millions on something that was never used to solve a single crime.

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   1. You are right

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   2. What, they actually dropped that? Amazing. Spending our money to no purpose is not normally considered anything to worry about among politicians.

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   3. I think Washington, D.C., still has that requirement on the books.

      Again, not that it’s EVER been instrumental in solving a crime….

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