Two new studies are questioning the viability of a proposal for Gun 'Fingerprinting' . The first study, by the California Department of Justice, concluded that "recording every firearm made and sold in the nation's most populous state could be overwhelming....the number of potential computer matches in the state will be so large as to be impractical," and further, that "a large proportion" of weapons couldn't be recorded, and that each gun's markings change with routine use and can be easily altered.

The report was submitted to the ATF which, not suprisingly, disagreed with it. But it was also submitted to an independent ballistics expert at the National Institute for Forensic Science in Belgium--and their expert agreed with the California study. The Belgian expert concluded that "the system tested was ineffective in a third to two-thirds of test firings," and "the situation worsens as the number of firearms in the database is increased."

Based on the California study and findings of the Belgian expert, California Attorney General Bill Lockyer is expected to tell state lawmakers that "a statewide database for large-scale ballistics comparisons is not currently practical and to recommend more research and development."