NY new-gun database has yet to lead to prosecution
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ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York's 7-year-old database of handgun "fingerprints" has yet to lead to a criminal prosecution, and questions linger about its effectiveness. Still, state police remain committed to the database, saying more time and a long-awaited link to a federal ballistics database could bring success.Since March 2001, identifying information about more than 200,000 new pistols and revolvers sold in New York have been entered into the Combined Ballistic Identification System database maintained by state police. New York and Maryland are the only two states that maintain statewide databases.
New guns are test fired, and the minute markings the guns make on the shell casings are recorded and entered into the digital database.
Proponents say the markings are as unique as fingerprints and can be compared against shell casings found at crime scenes. The results as of August: 209,239 casings entered into New York's database, 7,124 inquiries and two hits.
Both hits were several years ago and involve separate crimes in Rochester — a drive-by shooting that resulted in an injury and an incident involving shots fired — and neither resulted in a prosecution, according to state and Rochester city police.
Gun advocates, who have opposed the database from the get-go as unworkable, claim the lack of results is evidence of the system's failure. They contend that a gun's "fingerprints" can be changed easily by taking a file to the breech face. Tom King, president of the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, said the state would be better served by spending the money for the database — which police say costs about $1 million a year — on more police.
"We don't have to be throwing millions of dollars into a program that doesn't work," he said.
