Firearms: unsafe handguns: imprinting.

Existing law, subject to exceptions, generally makes it an offense to manufacture or sell a handgun that is not safe. Existing law establishes criteria for determining if a handgun is unsafe. Existing law generally requires manufacturers to submit samples of new handgun models for testing to determine if they are unsafe or may be approved for sale, as specified. Existing law requires the Department of Justice to compile a roster listing all of the handguns that have been tested and determined not to be unsafe. Existing law, defines as "unsafe" a semiautomatic pistol that is not, as of January 1, 2010, listed on the roster if it is not designed and equipped with a microscopic array of characters that identify the make, model, and serial number of the pistol, etched or imprinted in 2 or more places on the interior surface or internal working parts of the pistol that are transferred by imprinting on each cartridge case when the firearm is fired. Existing law conditions this requirement on certification by the Department of Justice that this technology is available to more than one manufacturer unencumbered by patent restrictions. This bill would delete the requirement that a firearm be designed and equipped with this imprinting technology to be listed on the roster of handguns that have been determined not to be unsafe.