1995 Congressional Hearings
Intelligence and Security



 SPORTING ARMS AND AMMUNITION MANUFACTURERS' INSTITUTE, INC.



                        June 13, 1995



             ORAL STATEMENT OF ROBERT T. DELFAY

                     EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

    SPORTING ARMS AND AMMUNITION MANUFACTURERS' INSTITUTE



          Concerning H.R. 1710, The Comprehensive 

                 Anti-Terrorism Act of 1995



     GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS ROBERT DELFAY. I AM THE

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE SPORTING ARMS AND AMMUNITION

MANUFACTURERS' INSTITUTE (SAAMI).



     SAAMI, FOUNDED IN 1926 AT THE REQUEST OF THE FEDERAL

GOVERNMENT, CONDUCTS A NUMBER OF ONGOING STANDARDS AND

SAFETY PROGRAMS THAT HELP ASSURE THAT U.S.-PRODUCED

SPORTING FIREARMS AND AMMUNITION ARE BUILT TO SAFE AND

UNIFORM STANDARDS AND THAT THESE PRODUCTS ARE USED IN A

SAFE AND RESPONSIBLE MANNER.



     THE 19 MEMBERS OF SAAMI INCLUDE THE NATION'S LEADING

MANUFACTURERS OF SPORTING FIREARMS, AMMUNITION AND

SMOKELESS PROPELLANT POWDERS. A MEMBERSHIP LIST IS ATTACHED

TO OUR WRITTEN STATEMENT, AND I REQUEST THAT BOTH BE

SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD.



     H.R. 1710--THE COMPREHENSIVE ANTI-TERRORISM ACT OF

1995-WOULD DIRECT THE ATTORNEY GENERAL TO CONDUCT A STUDY

TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT

USEFULNESS OF PUTTING DETECTION AND TRACER TAGGANTS

INTO EXPLOSIVE MATERIALS.



     SAAMI SUPPORTS THIS PROPOSED STUDY. THOSE SAAMI

MEMBERS WHICH MANUFACTURE SMOKELESS POWDERS ARE

COMMITTED TO ASSISTING IN THE STUDY DESIGN AND

IMPLEMENTATION AND IN PROVIDING SUCH TECHNICAL INFORMATION

AS MAY BE HELPFUL AND APPROPRIATE. SAAMI MEMBERS HAVE

ASSISTED GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN SIMILAR STUDIES IN THE PAST,

AND IT IS URGED THAT ANY NEW STUDIES WOULD NOT DUPLICATE

THE EXTENSIVE AND AUTHORITATIVE TESTING ALREADY CONDUCTED

AND THAT THEY BE DESIGNED TO ALLOW FULL AND REALISTIC

ASSESSMENT OF THE SAFETY AND THE COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF

TAGGANT TECHNOLOGIES.



     THE MEMBERS OF SAAMI SUGGEST THAT SIGNIFICANT SAFETY,

MANUFACTURING, AND DISTRIBUTION ISSUES MUST BE RESOLVED

BEFORE CONSIDERATION CAN BE GIVEN TO ESTABLISHMENT OF A

PROGRAM REQUIRING THE USE OF IDENTIFICATION TAGGANTS IN

SMOKELESS POWDERS, USED IN SPORTING AND LAW ENFORCEMENT

AMMUNITION.



     THE FIRST OF THESE ISSUES IS SAFETY. PAST STUDIES HAVE

DEMONSTRATED THAT THE ADDITION OF IDENTIFICATION TAGGANTS

TO SMOKELESS POWDERS POSES SERIOUS SAFETY RISKS.



     IN 1979 AND 1980, SAAMI MEMBERS PARTICIPATED IN AN

EXTENSIVE TESTING PROGRAM DESIGNED BY A BUREAU OF ALCOHOL,

TOBACCO AND FIREARMS CONTRACTOR. THE TEST RESULTS WERE

EVALUATED BY THE OFFICE OF TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT.



     TESTING SHOWED, AND OTA CONCURRED, THAT THERE WAS A

"SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN STABILITY" OF THE TAGGED MATERIAL

DUE TO AN INCOMPATIBILITY BETWEEN THE SMOKELESS POWDER AND

THE TAGGANT. THE DESTABILIZING EFFECT OF THE TAGGANT WAS

CONFIRMED BY FURTHER TESTS AT TWO GOVERNMENT

LABORATORIES. OTA CONCLUDED THAT A "DEMONSTRATION OF

SAFETY WOULD HAVE TO BE QUIRE CONVINCING TO OVERCOME THE

CURRENTLY PERCEIVED INCOMPATIBILITY."



     IN ANOTHER SERIES OF TESTS, THE TAGGANTS CAUSED LOW

FIRING PRESSURE. THE OTA REPORT STATED THAT "SIGNIFICANTLY

REDUCED BALLISTIC PERFORMANCE, ... AND EVIDENCE OF IMPROPER

IGNITION OCCURRED" AND THAT "IMPROPER IGNITION WOULD

CONSTITUTE A SAFETY HAZARD AS THE ROUND MIGHT NOT CLEAR

THE BARREL." FIRING THE NEXT SHOT MIGHT DESTROY THE FIREARM

AND CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY TO THE SHOOTER OR BYSTANDANDERS.



     OTA CONCLUDED THAT "AS A RESULT OF THIS UNCERTAINTY,

NOT EVEN PRELIMINARY INDICATIONS OF SAFETY ARE POSSIBLE AT

THIS TIME, MUCH LESS THE DEMONSTRATIONS NECESSARY BEFORE A

TAGGANT PROPOSAL COULD SAFELY BE IMPLEMENTED."



     ASSUMING THAT THE SAFETY ISSUE COULD BE RESOLVED, THERE

ARE SIGNIFICANT OTHER ISSUES AS TO THE PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY

FOR AND COST OF ADDING IDENTIFICATION TAGGANTS TO SMOKELESS

POWDERS IN THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS.



     THERE ARE NECESSARILY DOZENS OF SIZES, SHAPES AND BULK

DENSITIES OF SMOKELESS POWDER GRAINS USED FOR SHOTSHELLS

AND THE VARIOUS RIFLE AND PISTOL CARTRIDGES. FOR EXAMPLE,

POWDER GRAINS MAY BE SPHERES, FLAKES, OR PERFORATED

CYLINDERS. SPHERES CAN VARY IN DIAMETER FROM ABOUT 1/1000

TO 3/1000 OF AN INCH; FLAKES, FROM ABOUT 9/1000 TO 1/10 OF AN

INCH; AND CYLINDERS, FROM 2/100 TO 5/100 OF AN INCH .



     TO BE EFFECTIVE, AN IDENTIFICATION TAGGANT MUST "MATCH"

THE PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PARTICULAR POWDER OR

POWDER BLEND. IF IT DOES NOT, SCREENING OF THE BLENDED

POWDER IN THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS WOULD REMOVE ANY

TAGGANTS NOT OF THE SAME SIZE OR SHAPE AS THE POWDER.

SIMILARLY, TO PREVENT A TERRORIST FROM REMOVING TAGGANTS BY

SCREENING, BY VIBRATION SETTLING, OR BY POURING THE POWDER

THROUGH AN AIRSTREAM, THE TAGGANT MUST BE A GOOD MATCH TO

THE SIZE AND DENSITY OF THE POWDER.



     APART FROM INVITING REMOVAL BY A TERRORIST, FAILURE TO

MATCH THE TAGGANT WITH THE POWDER COULD RESULT IN

STRATIFICATION OF THE TAGGANT IN CANISTERS DURING SHIPPING

AND STORAGE. STRATIFICATION OF TAGGANTS COULD ALLOW USE OF

POWDER THOUGHT TO BE TAGGED WITHOUT TAGGANTS ACTUALLY

BEING IN THE POWDER OR COULD LEAD TO SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEMS

IF A PORTION OF THE POWDER INCLUDED AN EXTRAORDINARY

CONCENTRATION OF TAGGANTS.



     AN IDENTIFICATION TAGGANT PROGRAM WOULD REQUIRE A

NEW, VAST AND COSTLY RECORDKEEPING SYSTEM TO LINK A SPECIFIC

LOT OF SMOKELESS POWDER MANUFACTURED WITH A PARTICULAR

TAGGANT AND THE LAST LEGAL PURCHASERS OF THE CANISTERS

PACKED FROM THAT LOT A PRODUCTION LOT OF SMOKELESS POWDER

IS TYPICALLY BETWEEN 10,000 AND 20,000 POUNDS, WITH A RANGE OF

5,000 TO 50,000 POUNDS. SINCE THE HANDLOADER NORMALLY BUYS A

1/2 POUND OR 1 POUND CANISTER OF POWDER, THE LAST RECORDED

PURCHASERS OF A GIVEN LOT OF POWDER WOULD NORMALLY BE IN

THE RANGE OF 15,000 TO 30,000.



     IT IS DIFFICULT TO CONCEIVE WHAT BENEFIT LAW

ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL COULD OBTAIN FROM EXPENDING THE

RESOURCES NECESSARY TO COMPOSE LISTS OF THE 15,000 TO 30,000

SUSPECTS, MUCH LESS TO CONDUCT A MEANINGFUL INVESTIGATION

OF EACH.



     IN ADDITION, CRIMINAL AND TERRORIST MISUSE OF EXPLOSIVES

OCCURS FREQUENTLY AS A RESULT OF THEFTS. A TAGGING PROGRAM

OPERATING AT OPTIMUM EFFICIENCY WILL ONLY LEAD

INVESTIGATORS TO THE LAST LEGAL PURCHASERS.



     IN SUMMARY, AS MANUFACTURERS, SMMI MEMBERS ARE

CONCERNED FIRST AND FOREMOST ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THEIR

PRODUCTS. THERE ALSO ARE MAJOR QUESTIONS AS TO THE TECHNICAL

FEASIBILITY AND COST OF ADDING IDENTIFICATION TAGGANTS TO

SMOKELESS POWDERS. SMMI URGES THAT THESE CONSIDERATIONS BE

FULLY EXPLORED IN THE STUDY CALLED FOR BY THIS LEGISLATION

AND, AGAIN, VOLUNTEERS ITS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE IN THE

PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE STUDY.



THANK YOU.