FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 18, 2002

SCHUMER: ATF STUDY PROVES EFFICACY OF GUN FINGERPRINTING; BUSH MUST ACT NOW TO BACK NATIONAL BALLISTIC FINGERPRINT SYSTEM

Longstanding Report Shows National Ballistic Fingerprint System Would Be Effective In Maryland Sniper Case; Disputes White House Assertions To the Contrary

Schumer urges Bush to support new BLAST legislation which would create national ballistics database; Schumer Also Vows To Fight NRA Opposition

Senator Charles E. Schumer revealed a longstanding Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms (ATF) report that proves the usefulness of ballistic fingerprinting, countering Administration claims that this technology might not work. Schumer then called on President George W. Bush to back legislation creating a national ballistics fingerprint database, a system that could help police solve crimes such as the Maryland sniper case and countless New York City gun crimes.

"The time to study ballistics fingerprinting is over. We all know it works and could help police solve crimes like the Maryland sniper case and countless gun crimes here in New York," Schumer said. "The White House must stop stalling and falling in line with the NRA. We need to give our police the best tools possible as soon as possible. We wouldn't go into Iraq without our Stealth Bombers and we shouldn't fight crime without a national ballistics fingerprinting system. So I ask President Bush to support my BLAST legislation and help us create this national fingerprint system."

Schumer referenced specifically a report the ATF released earlier this year which states that their own ballistic fingerprinting system has been an unqualified success. In concluding that the technology has been successful, the ATF rebuts claims that criminals can easily prevent ballistics identification through the NIBIN (National Integrated Ballistic Identification System) Program. For example, the ATF report notes that one senior ATF firearms examiner collaborating had seen only two cases of altered firearms over the course of a 15 year career. In one of those two cases, the diversion was unsuccessful, as the evidence could still be matched to the firearm despite the alteration.

The ATF's nationwide ATF Ballistics Fingerprinting Program known as NIBIN requires participating federal, state and local law enforcement officers to collect bullets and shell casings from crime scenes, bring them to trained technicians to take a microscopic digital picture of the ballistic fingerprint, and have the ballistics fingerprints entered into the IBIS computer database (Integrated Ballistic Identification System).

The IBIS computer database is now available to all federal, state and local law enforcement across the country. As of May, 2002, the NIBIN Program has collected 119,369, ballistic images of firearms evidence across the country. Since its implementation in 2000, the IBIS computer database has generated at least 4,429 "hits" or matches of ballistics evidence from different crime scenes. (A "hit" in the IBIS computer database is always followed up by a microscopic examination of the ballistics evidence by a Firearms Examiner to confirm the match.)

"If the ATF's database works this well, imagine how well a national database with data from all manufactured guns, not just those used in a previous crime, would be," Schumer said. "It amazes me that anyone could oppose this bill. What could be more reasonable than an inexpensive way to save lives. This is a total no-brainer."

The report itself states that its own database is invaluable and is one tool among many that makes their job easier: "When evidence from a new crime comes into police custody, it can be compared using NIBIN to previously acquired evidence, a task that would take an individual firearms examiner an entire career to undertake in order to solve a single crime. This task would never be attempted without ballistics imaging, and the crime would go unsolved. Now such a comparison can take place in minutes, revealing potential links between crimes and creating leads not available from any other source. The use of NIBIN does not remove the human element from ballistic comparison; instead, it makes the firearms examiner more powerful by focusing attention on potential matches. "

The ATF database has been used to solve many crimes here in New York City. On April 21, 2001, an armed gunman robbed a victim at gunpoint on the street. The perpetrator was arrested and the gun was tested and entered into NIBIN. It was then determined that the gun was used in 4 other crimes including a double murder. Follow up investigative report linked the criminal to these other events and he was prosecuted for these other crimes.

"Here is a great example of how gun fingerprinting can help our police. But imagine if this gun could have been tracked after the first crime, an armed robbery. Two lives could have been saved," Schumer said. "The White House should be in the business of saving lives, not acquiescing to unreasonable requests of the NRA. This national database could have saved lives here in New York and it could save lives across the country. Although not a cure all by any means, a national database would be an invaluable new tool for all police."

Schumer is co-sponsoring the Ballistics, Law Assistance, and Safety Technology Act (BLAST) which would require gun manufacturers to test fire a bullet from every gun they produce and keep a record of the gun's fingerprint. Specifically, the bill would:

• Require firearms manufacturers and importers to test fire all new firearms and make the ballistics images available to federal law enforcement
• Require law enforcement officials to test fire all firearms in their custody
• Provides financial support to communities that include ballistics testing as a critical part of their comprehensive anti-crime strategy, building on the model used by ATF in the Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative.

The burden on manufacturers is minimal and the assistance to law enforcement is considerable. To protect law abiding hunters and sportsmen from any misuse of the ballistics database by government, the BLAST bill explicitly prohibits ballistics information from being used for any purpose unless it is necessary for the investigation of a gun crime.

The bill also would help gun manufacturers create this new system by providing $20,000,000 in funding which the Attorney General of the United States can use over the next 4 years to help set up equipment, hire the right personnel and provide training and education to make this National Ballistics Fingerprinting System work.

More information on ATF's NIBIN database can be found at www.NIBIN.gov.

###