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On February 17, 2010, the Department of Justice will be closing its public comment period concerning the proposed action to adopt regulations implementing AB 1471. That law requires that, commencing January 1, 2010, all semiautomatic pistols not listed on the roster of handguns approved for direct sale by retailer firearm dealers found at Penal code section 12131 be "designed and equipped" with microstamping technology. But the Department of Justice must certify that any technology used is available to more than one manufacturer unencumbered by any patent restrictions before the law can take effect.
In simple terms, microstamping is a process whereby a semiautomatic firearm leaves a unique imprint on the casing of discharged ammunition. The technology currently being considered is not only of dubious quality, but is also encumbered by a patent. For those reasons, AB 1471 has not been implemented, despite the fact that it was supposed to go into effect on January 1 of this year.
The lack of available microstamping technology has not deterred the Department of Justice from proceeding with promulgating regulations for the law’s implementation. In other words, these proposed regulations are completely unnecessary at this time. It is on this basis, among others, that the NRA is objecting to the DOJ commencing with the rulemaking process on this matter. The NRA Letter to the DOJ is available to read in its entirety here.
For those who are interested in attending the meeting to provide public comment in opposition to these proposed regulations, the meeting will be held at 5:00p.m. at the Department of Water Resources auditorium located at 1416 9th Street, Sacramento, California on February 17, 2010. Written comment is also being accepted until 5:00p.m. that day and should be submitted to:
Jeff Amador, Field Representative
Department of Justice
Division of Law Enforcement/Bureau of Firearms
P.O. Box 160487
Sacramento, CA 95816-0487
Or
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