Murder of NYC toddler revitalizes gun debate in Albany

[Robb]

A shooting in Brooklyn has sparked new debate in Albany on the polarizing issue of gun control and more specifically: microstamping.

Antiq Hennis, a 16-month-old, was shot twice in the head as his father pushed him down Bristol Street in Brooklyn late at night on Sept. 1. Though police have arrested two New York men in Pennsylvania in connection with the murder, New Yorkers are left with a familiar question: what could have prevented this?



Supporters of the controversial policy say imprinting a tiny code on the shell casings of bullets could give law enforcement an edge in solving crimes like the one that took place last week in Brooklyn.

This coming January Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel, D-Great Neck, will again be pressing forward with bill A.3244, the "Crime Gun Identification Act of 2013." The bill is sponsored in the Senate by Jose Peralta, D-Jackson Heights.

If the bill were to pass, all new automatic pistols and hand guns would be microstamp-enabled, numbered and traceable back to the original purchaser.

"We do recalls all the time on consumer products. That's what those little microstamp numbers are for," Schimel said. "We can trace back the problems with cans of food. So why not bullets?"

Read More: http://www.legislativegazette.com/Articles-Top-Stories-c-2013-09-09-85022.113122-Murder-of-NYC-toddler-revitalizes-gun-debate-in-Albany.html