I hope this serves as a model. The bill-signing ceremony was held at the Garden City railroad station where a man went on a shooting rampage on a Long Island Rail Road train in 1993, killing six people. The law's centerpiece would require New York handgun dealers and manufacturers who sell to dealers in the state to submit shell casings from the test firing of guns in their inventories to the state police's forensic lab. Computerized images of the casings would be kept on file. Authorities would check the database against bullets and casings recovered at crime scenes to track the guns.
Gun barrels leave telltale markings on bullets and shell casings.
The National Rifle Association has opposed the taking of bullet samples for the government, arguing that it is a preliminary step toward national gun registration. Pataki stressed that the legislation is aimed at those engaged in illegal activity and not those who own guns to protect their homes, families or for hunting. The new law also raises the legal age for purchasing handguns in New York from 18 to 21, bans all assault weapons listed under a 1994 federal law and makes it a felony punishable by up to seven years in prison to possess or sell any banned assault weapon. It also requires firearms retailers to include child safety locking devices with all purchases.