Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin today announced that his office has established the standards and application process for handguns to be included on the State’s microstamping-enabled firearms roster.

Microstamping is a ballistics identification technology. A microstamping-enabled firearm has a unique code imprinted on its firing pin, which is stamped onto bullet cartridge casings each time the firearm is fired. Those unique imprints are linked to the firearm’s make, model, and serial number, allowing law enforcement to match spent cartridge casings found at a crime scene to the specific firearm from which they were discharged.

Under the newly-established standards to qualify for inclusion on the microstamping roster, a firearm must, among other criteria, regularly impart an identifying marker on expended cartridge cases, perform without physically deforming or deteriorating when firing rounds and with no less reliability than other commercial firearms sold in New Jersey, and otherwise comply with all applicable State and federal laws.

“This amazing yet straightforward technology – imprinting unique identifiers on the firing pin of firearms – will have a profound impact on public safety across the state,” said Attorney General Platkin. “Thanks to Governor Murphy, New Jersey is a national leader in innovative approaches to reducing gun violence, and microstamping is the latest example of that. Its adoption will aid our law enforcement officers in swiftly identifying crime guns and holding perpetrators accountable.”