Encoded Ammunition: 2008 March Summary

I have updated the research of states which have introduced "Encoded Ammunition" bills in 2008, and find that the following states are entertaining this proposal:

1. Arizona
2. Hawaii
3. Illinois
4. Indiana
5. Maryland
6. Mississippi
7. Pennsylvania
8. Rhode Island
9. Tennessee
10. Washington

I also have notes that California and New York have proposed such bills, but a recent search of their state legislatures has failed to find the details ... or, indeed, that any such bills have been introduced.

I note that California passed a Microstamping last year, and that New York introduced a similar bill in 2008. These are not included here because the subject is States which have Introduced "Encoded Ammunition Bills in 2008".

On February 4, 2008, I presented a 2008 summary of encoded ammunition bills, and on March 4, 2008, it seems timely to update this file.

The original summary referenced 12 states, based upon external (meaning, I didn't bother to research and verify the claims) references. This month I have added new information taken from state legislature websites.

Some of the newer information (eg: Arizona, Rhode Island) may be incomplete because I didn't notice details; however, no details are provided without verification: you may take these data points for fact. Most interesting is that Arizona's proposed bill is especially sparse in the details. Also, Rhode Island does not specify the type of 'encoding' which is required of the manufacturer. We can only imagine that it would be extremely difficult for an ammunition manufacturer to confidently construct 'encoded' ammunition which would definitively be acceptible to the Rhode Island Legislature.

Well, why not. They (Rhode Island Legislators, as well as all the other state legislature members which have entertained this legislation) have no intention to make this bill feasible; they only want to get their name in the newspapers as politicians who are 'trying to do something about crime and violence', and incidentally impose unbearable legal burdens on legitimate gun owners.

Actually, that last part is an incidental side-effect. The pols don't care whether you can afford to buy the ammunition, of if the proposed bill would accomplish any benefit to society. They just want to look good to their Liberal Democrat friends.

Has anyone payed any attention to the party affiliations of the sponsors of these bills?

Never mind looking it up; you already know who ther\y are.