The long arm of big government

Bill Would Put Serial Numbers on Bullets

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A state Senate committee approved a proposal Tuesday to put a serial number on every handgun bullet made or sold in California.

The measure cleared the Senate Public Safety Committee on a 4-2 vote over opposition from manufacturers, firearms dealers and sport shooters.

The technology exists to laser-cut bullets with a number that police could use to trace who purchased bullets used in crimes, said Democratic sponsor Sen. Joseph Dunn.

Purchasers would pay up to a half a cent per bullet to fund record-keeping by the state Department of Justice. Vendors would pay up to $50 a year.

Do these liberal anti-gun nuts truly think this will deter criminals? Even PBS' Frontline acknowledged that criminals turn to "dirty dealers" more than law-abiding dealers. These dealers already violate laws requiring waiting periods and background checks, so why would they have any compunction in selling "illegal" unmarked bullets? They wouldn't. They'll sell unmarked bullets manufactured out of state, or even from Mexico.

Perhaps the mountain will come to Mohammed: underground dealers will come to California to sell unmarked bullets, knowing there will be a flourishing black market. Or, like some already do, criminals will simply steal bullets as part of burglaries, possibly leaving law-abiding citizens as potential suspects in future shootings.

Someone said, if guns kill people, then spoons made Rosie O'Donnell fat. I add that you can take away the spoons, but there's always another way. Meanwhile, it's the law-abiding citizen who, faced with long response times by the police, finds it more inconvenient and more expensive to defend himself.