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Technology Stocks : Identix (IDNX) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: David who wrote (8588)	6/2/1998 4:40:00 PM
From: David	Respond to of 26039

The Brady Bill and identity checks . . . . Some time ago, I got an email asking me to look into the effect the Brady Act (regulating gun purchases) may have on fingerprint ID sales. I've just checked on that. It turns out, the bill has an indirect effect by promoting the computerization of criminal history records throughout the country, which probably includes federal grant money that can go toward AFIS systems. But the Brady Act doesn't require fingerprint ID when someone goes to buy a gun. Here's an excerpt of a transcript from the Federal News Service of February 26, 1998, of a press conference with a Department of Justice official, Kent Marcus (the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Attorney General): "Q: There's a concern under the instant check system about false I.D. being used. Is there any discussion down the road of using a fingerprint instant check system to verify that the person is who he or she says they are? "Mr. Markus: Well . . . the statutory construct is that it is a name-based check, and I think that we recognize that there are some risks associated with name-based checks, both in terms of false negatives and false positives. But that's the statute under which we're operating right now, and I think there's a recognition that until IAFIS -- automated fingerprint identification technology -- is completely available, there are substantial costs and money delays -- time and money delays that are associated with fingerprint checks, and I think that was why the compromise was made to go with name checks." Also mentioned in that press conference were the facts that in 1994, only 20% of police records were computerized, and the figure has been raised by the beginning of this year to 40%, with a 50% number expected by the end of 1998. I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for gun buyer fingerprint ID nationally for a few reasons: First, we don't expect every gun shop not near a Sylvan facility to have a $50,000 TP-600 connected to a national AFIS; second, I don't think gun buyers are going to spend an extra $30 a shot (so to speak) for the privilege of being checked when they buy a gun; and, third, talk about Ratman! Forget it, politically. And these people are (or want to be) armed.