FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 15, 2010

No. 1

100 NEW YORK STATE MAYORS AND 83 POLICE DEPARTMENTS AND LAW
ENFORCEMENT ORGANIZATIONS URGE STATE SENATE TO PASS MICROSTAMPING
LEGISLATION THAT WOULD GIVE POLICE OFFICERS A NEW TOOL TO TRACK DOWN
GUN CRIMINALS

In a TV Ad, Tatyana Timoshenko Mother of NYPD Police Officer Russel Timoshenko Urges Albany to
Give Law Enforcement Every Tool Necessary to Fight Illegal Guns

New Website www.StampOutGunCrime.org Urges Albany to Stand With Law Enforcement

The bi-partisan coalition of New York Mayors Against Illegal Guns today launched a new campaign
to urge the State Legislature to pass microstamping legislation. Microstamping is a state-of-the-art
technology that imprints a tiny code on shell casings ejected from handguns. Since bullet shell casings are
often the only piece of evidence remaining at crime scenes, microstamping would be a new tool for law
enforcement to track down gun criminals. The New York State Assembly has already passed microstamping
legislation (A.6468) and the Senate version of the bill (S.6005) has been approved by the Senate Codes
committee and is awaiting action by the full Senate. The Mayors have the support of many law enforcement
officials, including police chiefs and district attorneys.

More than 100 New York State mayors and 83 police departments and law enforcement
organizations have asked Albany for a new tool to solve gun crimes: microstamping technology, said New
York City Mayor and Mayors Against Illegal Guns co-chair Michael R. Bloomberg. Since bullet shell
casings are often the only piece of evidence left behind at crime scenes, they are an invaluable clue in the
investigative process. Its vital that the State Senate bring that bill to the floor for a vote, and pass it.

Mayors from all over the state have come together in support of this common sense measure, said
Mayor Jerry Jennings of Albany. Whether were from the biggest city in America or a small town upstate,
as mayors, we are always looking for new ways to fight gun crime. Microstamping technology would
dramatically improve the efforts of local law enforcement to trace the origins of an illegal gun, and get one
step closer to finding the criminal who fired it.

In order for our police officers to effectively address illegal gun violence, we need to give them
every tool they need to crack down on gun criminals, said Mayor Stephanie Miner of Syracuse.
Microstamping legislation would add a powerful, new technology to their disposal, and I urge Albany to
pass this critical public safety bill.
 More than 20 years ago, my husband, Steven, was shot in the line of duty as an NYPD police
officer, said Mayor Patricia McDonald of Malverne. Our police officers are constantly on the front lines in
defending our cities and towns from violent crime. So when more than 83 police departments and law
enforcement organizations and 100 mayors ask Albany for microstamping legislation to be passed, I urge the
State Senate to hear their call and protect our officers.

For me, the mayor of a city that has lost an officer to a firearm, the fight against illegal guns is a
personal one, and my constituents agree, said Utica Mayor David R. Roefaro. The old way of recovering a
shell casing from a crime scene and then storing it away in a cabinet has got to change. A shell casing should
be law enforcements best clue, their first lead. Until now, mayors from across New York stood stoic,
waiting for the right technology to emerge. Well that time has come, the technology is here, and there are
criminals to hold accountable. We need microstamping and we need it now.

Microstamping technology gives law enforcement officials a new tool to save lives and solve crimes
without placing any restrictions on lawful gun ownership, said Senator Eric Schneiderman. Like DNA or
fingerprinting, microstamping will help exonerate the innocent and convict the guilty. I'm proud that our
legislation has widespread, bipartisan support from mayors, law enforcement officials, district attorneys and
lawmakers from every corner of this state. Lets make sure that this state-of-the-art tool is available here in
New York.

Every day I am reminded that the scourge of gun violence knows no geographic boundaries, said
Assembly Member Michelle Schimel. Criminals murder victims in New York's cities, suburbs as well as
our rural communities. Right now murderers are firing anonymous ammunition. Microstamping will help our
law enforcement to trace guns that kill back to the criminals pulling the triggers.

More Than 80 Police Departments and Law Enforcement Organizations Support Microstamping Legislation

More than 80 police departments and law enforcement organizations including the New York City
Police Department and the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police support microstamping
legislation in New York State.

Microstamping technology is an important tool to add to the arsenal law enforcement uses to combat
gun violence, said NYPD Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly. It can yield helpful investigative information
that uncovers a crime guns history. We want to use every possible method to solve crimes, I urge lawmakers
to pass this important legislation.

Microstamping adds another tool to help police agencies successfully investigate and prosecute
those who engage in the possession and use of illegal weapons, said Chief William Kilfoil, Port Washington
Police Chief and President of the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police. This technology will
provide rapid leads at many crime scenes which is so important in the first crucial hours after a crime is
committed. Microstamping will also help reduce gun trafficking of semiautomatic weapons by creating
accountability. It will be a strong deterrent to gun violence and will serve to make New York a safer state.

Requiring gun manufacturers to microstamp onto firing pins and gun barrels an identifying code
means that every shell casing left at a crime scene can serve as a road map to lead us to the shooter, said
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown. It will also make criminals think twice before using a gun and
will help identify and deter straw purchases that enable criminals to thwart the law and obtain deadly
weapons. As a local prosecutor who deals each day with cases involving the illegal use of firearms and gun
violence, I strongly support this legislation.
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 The ability to trace a gun from the crime-scene recovery of a shell casing back to the manufacturer
and through the guns last lawful purchaser would be a tremendous tool in solving violent crimes, said
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. Law enforcement must use cutting-edge technology or be
left behind by criminals who are becoming ever more sophisticated at concealing their crimes.
Microstamping holds great promise for tracking and reducing illegal guns and gun violence. DNA is the
fingerprint of the 21st century, and microstamping is the fingerprint of a gun. As we push today for the
expansion of DNA collection to solve all crimes, microstamping is one more technological advance that has
the power to prevent crimes -- our chief responsibility as law enforcement officers. I join with mayors,
police departments and prosecutors from across the state in calling on the Legislature to enact this important
legislation.

Microstamping technology is a valuable innovation for law enforcement that will result in more
evidence recovered at the scene and more violent offenders off the street, said Nassau County District
Attorney Kathleen Rice. I first joined Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel in 2009 to call for this common
sense legislation, to make our streets safer by giving law enforcement agencies the ability to instantly match
a shell casing found at a crime scene to the specific weapon used in the crime and to the firearms registered
owner. This ballistic fingerprint is crucial in our fight to rid our streets of illegal weapons and violent
criminals who belong behind bars. I urge our state legislature to continue to stand up to the gun lobby, see
through the myths, and provide DAs across New York this valuable crime-fighting tool right away.

Media Campaign Featuring Television Ads, Radio Ads, Newspaper Ads, and a New Website

Mayors Against Illegal Guns today launched a media campaign to encourage the State Senate to pass
the microstamping legislation. The campaign will feature the following:

TV Ad: The television ad features Tatyana Timoshenko, whose son, NYPD police officer Russel
Timoshenko, was killed by a criminal carrying an illegal gun in July 2007.

Three years ago, my son, Russel, was killed by a bullet fired by a criminal carrying an illegal
gun, said Tatyana Timoshenko. Microstamping is a new technology that can help police officers
connect shell casings to gun criminals. Thats why Im personally asking the New York State Senate
to give police officers every tool they need to fight crime. Police officers have a difficult job
protecting us every day. Now, its our turn and Albanys responsibility to protect police by
passing the microstamping bill.

The television ads are available at: www.StampOutGunCrime.org/tv

Radio Ad: The radio ad features Utica Police Chief Mark Williams.

Just last week, my officers responded to the call of shots fired at a local convenience store,
said Chief Mark Williams. The only piece of evidence remaining was a single shell casing.
Microstamped shell casings are an invaluable clue in the investigative process, allowing police
officers to connect bullet shell casing to the gun, and ultimately to the perpetrator, at any crime scene.
Albany: we need this technology, and we need it now.

The radio ads are available at www.StampOutGunCrime.org/radio

Newspaper Ad: Full-page newspaper ads are appearing today in Newsday, the Albany Times-Union,
and the Staten Island Advance.
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 The newspaper ads are available at www.StampOutGunCrime.org/newspaper

Website: www.StampOutGunCrime.org, launching today, will allow concerned citizens to learn

more about microstamping and take action by sending their own message to Albany.

About Microstamping

Microstamping is a state-of-the-art technology that imprints tiny markers on shell casings. These
markers can help police connect crime scenes to guns and ultimately to the criminals who used those guns
in crimes. Every time a bullet is fired from a semiautomatic handgun, a unique code is imprinted onto the
shell casings in at least two places. Since bullet shell casings are often the only piece of evidence remaining
at crime scenes, they are an invaluable clue in the investigative process. A peer-reviewed study has found
that even if police find only one microstamped shell casing, they have a 54% success rate in identifying the
gun meaning that if three or more microstamped shell casings are recovered from a crime scene, there is an
over 90% chance of success.

A.6468/S.6005 would require all semiautomatic handguns manufactured after January 1, 2012 and
sold in New York State to incorporate microstamping technology. The legislation would not require any
retrofitting of guns already sold. This legislation would only apply to newly manufactured semiautomatic
handguns and not to revolvers or rifles. The legislation caps the cost of the technology at $12 per handgun,
and the actual cost has been estimated to be lower from $2 or $8 per handgun.

Mayors and Law Enforcement Attending the Press Conference

The following State officials attended todays press conference in Albany:

Mayors:

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, New York City

Mayor Stephanie Miner, Syracuse
Mayor Jerry Jennings, Albany
Mayor Phil Amicone, Yonkers
Mayor David Roefaro, Utica
Mayor Brenda Gilberti, Whitesboro
Mayor Patricia MacDonald
Mayor Anne Thane, Amsterdam
Mayor Dennis Leahy, Maybrook
Mayor Scott Burto, West Carthage
Mayor Anthony Sylvester, Mechanicville

Police Chiefs:

Commissioner Raymond Kelly, NYPD

Chief William Kilfoil, President, NYS Association of Chiefs of Police
Chief John Aresta, Malverne Police Department
Chief Joseph Wing, Hempstead Police Department
Chief Steven Krokoff, Albany Police Department
Chief David Moore, Rochester Police Department
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 Chief Mark Williams, Utica Police Department
Chief Ronald Boisvert, Watervliet Police Department
Captain Curtis Cox, Guilderland Police Department
Chief Mark Chaires, Schenectady Police Department

Legislators:
Senator Eric Schneiderman
Assembly Member Michelle Schimel

District Attorneys:
Richard Brown, Queens
Cyrus Vance, Manhattan
Dan Donovan, Staten Island

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Contact: Mayor Bloombergs Press Office (212) 788-2958