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Firearms Related Examinations

Only a fool brings a knife to a gun fight.

Most people are familiar with firearms examinations and the ability to determine whether a suspected weapon discharged the spent bullet or spent casing found at the scene.  There are other examinations which can provide additional information to the case.

The examination for the presence of nitrite patterns on clothing or other surfaces can allow for the determination of the muzzle to target distance.  This can be important evidence in those cases involving questions as to the location of shooter in relation to the victim.  These examinations require the use of the weapon in question and same or similar ammunition.

Ejection characteristics of semi-automatic weapons can provide a clue as to the position of the shooter at the time the weapon was discharged.  This is accomplished through a series of test firings, again with the weapon in question and the same or similar ammunition,

Forensic Consulting has the capacity to perform database searches on spent bullets and casings in an attempt to produce a "candidate list" of firearms which could have discharged the items.

Forensic Consulting has the benefit of having a "certified armorer" and former police range master on staff.  He can assist in most firearm related question as well as the methods used in the training of law enforcement officers.

Case Example

Gunshot residue kits are rarely examined for case work.  While the analytical methods have vastly improved, the ability to determine "spatial distribution" - the location of the GSR - has all but been eliminated.  There  are instances where gunpowder residue can be important.

This is a photo of gunpowder residue on an individual's hands with the arrows indicating the location of the GPR

Transferring these patterns and area to our finger and thumb we were able to reproduce how the individual held the weapon as shown below:

Each firearms case submitted is examined for more than comparison analysis results.  We strive to determine if there are scene and weapon factors that could be examined for a more thorough understanding of the event.