If passed, cartridges from semi-automatic pistols found at a crime scene would be a lead for law enforcement agencies to follow in their investigations, Krekorian said.
But some opponents of the measure say the bill poses a risk to law-abiding people, who, if their gun were stolen, could be connected to a crime that they did not commit.
"I have concerns about the bill's effectiveness," Assemblyman Cameron Smyth, whose district includes a portion of La Crescenta, said.
"All you would need is one casing and that could lead to a conviction and that can be disconcerting because of the concern of falsely accused folks."
The bill has also riled Republicans, who say it is a veiled attempt to chip away at people's right to bear arms.
"Ultimately, the proponents of this measure are the same people who desire to remove our 2nd Amendment right," Assemblyman Anthony Adams, whose district includes La Crescenta, said.
"It's another example of a bill that's designed to inhibit our right to use that right. All of those moves are incremental steps to get to a point where the government is so invested in your right to own a gun that they're moved to the ultimate step of removing our 2nd Amendment right all together."
Adams also noted that the micro-stamping technology itself is unproven and that to mandate its use would be "irresponsible."
The bill's proponents argue that the legislation is not a gun-control issue.
"I think this is just the same large National Rifle Assn. paranoia," state Sen. Jack Scott, who represents Glendale and Burbank, said.
"They're just against anything that's against guns, but this isn't going to remove anyone's right to have a gun. It's just a tool to fight crime and that's why I think it makes real sense."
