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In reply to the discussion: Maryland is stopping a good program that identifies guns used in crimes [View all]NutmegYankee
(16,199 posts)41. It's simple metallurgy.
Every time a bullet goes down the barrel it wears down the surface like sandpaper or a file. After just a hundred rounds or so the barrel will no longer leave the same marks as the slight imperfections in the machined surface wear away and leave new inperfections.
Fingerprints on a hand are replaced by skin cells that grow in only that pattern as the old skin sloughs off, but once metal is worn/eroded away, it doesn't get replaced.
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Maryland is stopping a good program that identifies guns used in crimes [View all]
Union Label
Nov 2015
OP
True sounds like a dud. Maryland can use the money for other successful programs that work.
yeoman6987
Nov 2015
#7
Well, union, the "snipped" portion in your OP rather explains why it was cancelled...
Eleanors38
Nov 2015
#37
from the article, it sounds like for the MD system they were not unique and got 100s of matches
Amishman
Nov 2015
#42
That was a lightweight solution compared what lies for gun nuts down the road.
onehandle
Nov 2015
#4
"Next time, it'll be a five BILLION dollar program that won't solve any crimes!"
friendly_iconoclast
Nov 2015
#21
Actually, they *don't* wonder- they ignore any emprical evidence that disagrees with their dream
friendly_iconoclast
Nov 2015
#24
NY Scrapped their program as well. (COBIS solved one case, and cost $44,000,000.)
X_Digger
Nov 2015
#10