|
| |
|
Ballistic "fingerprinting" |
| Washington Office shares information on
ballistic "fingerprinting"
Received 10-17-02; posted here on 10-19-02]
WebWeaver's note: It has been striking over
the past few days, as the unknown sharpshooter has continued to kill
random innocent people in the area of our nation's capital, that few
reporters or commentators have so much as breathed a question about
what some kind of rational gun control might have done to prevent such
a killing spree.
Finally a few brave souls have dared to mention the
notion of "ballistic fingerprinting," which would enable law
enforcement departments to trace guns from the marking on bullets
fired in the commission of a crime.
The Washington Office has circulated a series of
answers to common questions about this issue, provided by the
Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, a Washington based advocacy group to
which many religious group belong.
Q&A on BALLISTIC
"FINGERPRINTING"
by Mark Pertschuk, Legislative Director, Coalition to
Stop Gun Violence
What is ballistic fingerprinting? Ballistic fingerprinting is
similar to DNA testing, but for guns. It allows police to take a bullet
or cartridge casing from a crime scene and match it up to the exact
weapon it was fired from. In other words, it gives police a lead that
they otherwise would not have had.
Can't criminals just alter the gun? Yes, guns
can be altered, but individual bullets and casings are
"fingerprinted" in several different ways. That means even
altering parts of a gun won't necessarily prevent a match. Ballistic
fingerprinting is about giving police a lead to solve a crime. No one is
suggesting that cops shouldn't dust for prints just because criminals
might wear gloves.
What do you think of the Bush Administration's
comments opposing ballistic fingerprinting? It's funny that the NRA
is laying low and President Bush is out front opposing common sense gun
laws. Usually it's the other way around. We hope the President will put
as much energy tracing weapons at home as he is in tracking down weapons
abroad.
Why is the NRA opposed? The gun lobby's
opposition to ballistic fingerprinting shows their true colors. They say
we should better enforce the law, then oppose a strong measure to do it.
Their lack of concern about effective law enforcement is out of step
with the mainstream views of police, the general public, and most gun
owners.
Isn't this just registration? No. Ballistic
fingerprinting links crime scene evidence to the gun that produced it.
It does not link guns to people. Gun lobby cries of registration are
nothing more than typical paranoia.
Hasn't the California Department of Justice
criticized the effectiveness of ballistic fingerprinting? That
report has been debunked. The fact is, law enforcement supports
ballistic fingerprinting. In fact, the Maryland State Police Association
just recently said their system is a useful crime-fighting tool and
needs to be expanded.
Has legislation been introduced to create a
national ballistic fingerprint database? Yes. Representative Robert
Andrews (D-NJ) has introduced legislation in the House. Senators Kohl
(D-WI), Schumer (D-NY), and Feinstein (D-CA) have introduced similar
legislation, S. 4069.
Mark Pertschuk
Legislative Director
Coalition to Stop Gun Violence
1023 15th Street, NW
Suite 600
Washington, DC 20005
202-408-0061, ext. 103
For more information, contact:
Elenora Giddings Ivory,
PC(U.S.A.)Washington Office,
110 Maryland Avenue, NE, #104,
Washington, DC 20002.
202-543-1126, fax 202-543-7755.
Email eivory@ctr.pcusa.org.
|
| |
|
Visit
our lively
new website! |
|
GA actions
ratified (or not) by the presbyteries
A number of the most important actions of the 219th
General Assembly have now been acted upon by the presbyteries,
confirming most of them as amendments to the PC(USA) Book of Order.
We provided resources to help inform the
reflection and debate, along with updates on the voting.
Our three areas of primary interest have been:
 |
Amendment 10-A,
which removes the current ban on
lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender persons being considered as
possible candidates for ordination as elder or ministers.
Approved! |
|
Amendment 10-2,
which would add the Belhar Confession to our Book of
Confessions. Disapproved, because as an amendment
to the Book of Confessions it needed a 2/3 vote, and did not
receive that. |
|
Amendment
10-1, which adopts the new Form of Government
that was approved by the Assembly. Approved. |
|
| |
|
If you like what
you find here,
we hope you'll help us keep Voices for Justice going ... and
growing!
Please consider making a special
contribution -- large or small -- to help us continue and improve
this service.
Click here to send a
gift online, using your credit card, through PayPal.
Or send your check, made
out to "Presbyterian Voices for Justice" and marked "web site," to
our PVJ Treasurer:
Darcy Hawk
4007 Gibsonia Road
Gibsonia, PA 15044-8312 |
| |
|
Some blogs worth visiting |
|
PVJ's
Facebook page
Mitch Trigger, PVJ's
Secretary/Communicator, has created a Facebook page where
Witherspoon members and others can gather to exchange news and
views. Mitch and a few others have posted bits of news, both
personal and organizational. But there’s room for more!
You can post your own news and views,
or initiate a conversation about a topic of interest to you. |
| |
|
Voices of Sophia blog
Heather Reichgott, who has created
this new blog for Voices of Sophia, introduces it:
After fifteen years of scholarship
and activism, Voices of Sophia presents a blog. Here, we present the
voices of feminist theologians of all stripes: scholars, clergy,
students, exiles, missionaries, workers, thinkers, artists, lovers
and devotees, from many parts of the world, all children of the God
in whose image women are made. .... This blog seeks to glorify God
through prayer, work, art, and intellectual reflection. Through
articles and ensuing discussion we hope to become an active and
thoughtful community. |
| |
|
John Harris’ Summit to
Shore blogspot
Theological and philosophical
reflections on everything between summit to shore, including
kayaking, climbing, religion, spirituality, philosophy, theology,
politics, culture, travel, The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), New
York City and the Queens neighborhood of Ridgewood by a progressive
New York City Presbyterian Pastor. John is a former member of the
Witherspoon board, and is designated pastor of North Presbyterian
Church in Flushing, NY. |
| |
|
John Shuck’s Shuck and Jive
A Presbyterian minister, currently
serving as pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethton,
Tenn., blogs about spirituality, culture, religion (both organized
and disorganized), life, evolution, literature, Jesus, and
lightening up. |
| |
|
Got more blogs to recommend?
Please
send a note, and we'll see what we can do! |
| |
|
