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Which states require new handgun models to have microstamping technology?

2 states have adopted this policy

AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY

Microstamping for New Handguns

Alabama has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Alaska has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Arizona has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Arkansas has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

California has adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Colorado has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Connecticut has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Delaware has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Florida has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Georgia has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Hawaii has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Idaho has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Illinois has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Indiana has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Iowa has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Kansas has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Kentucky has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Louisiana has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Maine has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Maryland has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Massachusetts has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Michigan has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Minnesota has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Mississippi has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Missouri has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Montana has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Nebraska has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Nevada has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

New Hampshire has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

New Jersey has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

New Mexico has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

New York has adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

North Carolina has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

North Dakota has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Ohio has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Oklahoma has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Oregon has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Pennsylvania has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Rhode Island has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

South Carolina has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

South Dakota has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Tennessee has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Texas has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Utah has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Vermont has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Virginia has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Washington has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

West Virginia has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Wisconsin has not adopted this policy

Microstamping for New Handguns

Wyoming has not adopted this policy

What It Does

For decades, manufacturers have refused to build basic ballistics identification features into their guns—including microstamping technology, which marks bullets and cartridge cases with a unique fingerprint each time a firearm is discharged. Microstamping allows law enforcement who recover ballistics at the scene of a shooting to immediately identify the gun used to commit the crime. Gunmakers have admitted in court filings that it is technically feasible to add microstamping features to the firing pins of their guns, yet the firearm industry went to great lengths to circumvent a California law requiring new firearm models to be “microstamp-ready.” After continued inaction by the gun industry, California passed a law in 2023 setting benchmark dates for the production of microstamping components so that by 2028, all semiautomatic pistols sold in the state will be microstamping-enabled.

The Impact

Violent crime clearance rates have been decreasing across US cities since 2010. In 2020, 45.6 percent of reported murders and non-negligent homicides and 53.6 percent of aggravated assaults went unsolved. When aggravated assaults involve guns, they’re cleared at lower rates than when they involve any other means. We must give law enforcement all the tools needed to bring justice to victims and survivors.

Show Citations and Footnotes
Source: Cal. Penal Code § 31910; NY Executive Law 837-w, NY Penal Code § 265.38.

Motion to Dismiss: Memorandum of Points and Authorities, Renna v. Becerra, No. 3:20-cv-02190-DMS-DEB (S.D. Cal. Jan. 25, 2021), ECF. No. 12, from at https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/18619597/renna/. 

Clearance rates: Federal Bureau of Investigation, “Table 26 – Percent of Offenses Cleared by Arrest or Exceptional Means by Geographic Region and Division, 2020,” accessed January 19, 2022. Not all law enforcement agencies report data to the FBI. 

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