WHEREAS, Ballistic fingerprinting is a law enforcement tool that requires gun manufacturers to supply bullet samples from handguns and rifles at their time of sale and enter all pertinent information about the bullet sample and the firearm it was discharged from into a statewide database; and
WHEREAS, A statewide ballistic fingerprinting system would allow investigators who have found shell casings or other ballistic evidence at a crime scene to enter data about the bullet’s markings into the database and quickly retrieve information about the firearm from which the bullet was fired; and
WHEREAS, Ballistic information contained in a statewide ballistic database could lead investigators to the firearm’s owner and possibly the perpetrator of violent crimes; and
WHEREAS, A statewide ballistic fingerprinting system could be instrumental in solving future crimes involving firearms in the state of Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, Maryland and New York have recently enacted legislation requiring gun makers to supply bullet samples from handguns and rifles at their time of sale and to enter relevant ballistic information in a statewide ballistic database; and
WHEREAS, In a cooperative agreement between the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and several local police departments, a project called NIBIN is already using ballistic fingerprinting techniques. NIBIN, or National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, involves computerized sharing of crime data on guns and ammunition; and
WHEREAS, The NIBIN system has enabled law enforcement agencies to discover links when the same firearm is used in multiple shooting crimes, even in different states; now therefore
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA,
That the Committee on Public Safety is hereby authorized to hold hearings on the effectiveness of ballistic fingerprinting as a tool in investigating crimes committed with firearms.
End