Expended casing w/new S&W 640

This may be a real newbie question, and may have been addressed in other posts, but I wouldn't know how to begin looking for it. I recently bought my first handgun (Smith & Wesson Model 640). Inside the case was an expended casing sealed in a small yellow envelope with all the information about the gun on the label. I was wondering what the purpose of this casing is? I haven't opened the envelope yet, because I wasn't sure if there was some legal purpose for this, such as ballistic identification if the gun is stolen or something. Any information about the casings purpose, and how it should be stored, secured, etc... would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You

A sample fired case for toolmark/ballistic I.D. of the weapon is required in some states; in those states, a new gun cannot be sold without it. Unless you live in a state where this is required, it isn't very useful for anything else. Check with your local/state law enforcement for more info.

I live in Maryland and it is one of the states that requires it. The state police, who administer it, say it is worthless. They have never solved a crime using one, and I doubt they ever will, but for the moment it is required to sell the gun. It is pretty silly for a revolver. Are you likely to dump your empty cases where the cops could pick them up after using the gun to comit a crime?

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Originally Posted by DJ Niner

A sample fired case for toolmark/ballistic I.D. of the weapon is required in some states; in those states, a new gun cannot be sold without it. Unless you live in a state where this is required, it isn't very useful for anything else. Check with your local/state law enforcement for more info.

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If you lived in a state where this was required, the dealer would have kept it and forwarded it to the state when the gun was sold. Since you have the case, your state does not require it.