“Since 2000, the state required that gun manufacturers fire every handgun to be sold here and send the spent bullet casing to authorities. The idea was to build a database of “ballistic fingerprints” to help solve future crimes.” The system was plagued by technological difficulties and failed to solve a single case. The system cost the state over $5 million.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-bullet-casings-20151107-story.html