Firearm Tool Marks

Firearms, Toolmarks,
and Impressions
and Impressions
1
and Impressions
Objectives
You will learn:
How class and individual evidence can
answer dierent questions.
How impression analysis is used in
forensic science.
The impact of firearms in the United States.
The importance of microscopic
examination in forensic science.
2
and Impressions
Objectives, continued
You will be able to:
Distinguish types of firearms.
Measure individual features of bullets and
cartridge cases.
Describe how a handgun works.
Use color tests to find gunshot residue.
Describe the procedure for estimating the
distance between muzzle blast and target.
Make casts of dierent types of impressions.
3
and Impressions
Activities
Characterization of Bullets and Cartridge Casings
The Greiss Test
The Sodium Rhodizonate Test for Lead Residue
The Corpse in the Closet
Matching Toolmarks
Casting Shoeprints
Relating Shoe Size to Height
Comparing Bite Marks
The Case of the Bitten Bonbon
4
and Impressions
Firearms
Forensic analysis is vital to solve a crime that uses a gun.
a j o r i t y of
st m
The va e s i n v olve
. S . h o micid more
U y a r e
A n d the
gun s .
t h a n e ver.
ul
powerf urnal, July 2007
Sta te Jo
La nsing
In 2004, there were 12,000 homicides in the United States.
5
and Impressions
Types of Firearms
Handguns (pistols)
Revolver
Semiautomatic
Rifles
Shotguns
Air or BB guns
6
and Impressions
Ammunition
Components:
Cartridge case
Primer
Propellant
Projectile
7
and Impressions
Bullets
Made of lead, sometimes jacketed with
brass, copper, or steel
Bullet size—diameter (caliber or gauge)
Shapes
8
and Impressions
Rifling
The grooved spirals inside
the barrel of a gun that
produce lands and grooves
on a bullet
Lands and grooves are class

characteristics.
9
and Impressions
Striae
Scratches on a fired bullet,
like a barcode,
that can serve as individual

evidence, matching bullets or
bullet to a firearm
10
and Impressions
Cartridge Case
Usually brass or nickel-clad brass
Head stamps
Rimfire and centerfire cartridges
Class evidence
11
and Impressions
Cartridge Case, continued

Individual characteristics
Firing pin marks
Extractor marks
Breech marks
12
and Impressions
Features of a Semiautomatic Handgun
13
and Impressions
Firearms Evidence
Individual: Class:
Striae Bullet type
Firing pin marks Bullet caliber
Breech marks Bullet weight
Extractor marks Lands and grooves
Ejector marks Rifling
Cartridge case
Chamber marks
Head stamp
14
and Impressions
Gunshot Residue (GSR)

When a weapon is fired:
Primer and propellant particles blow back toward the shooter.
Combustion products (mostly NO2-), unburned propellant, and
particles of lead follow the bullet, spreading out with distance.
15
and Impressions
Distance to Target
The Greiss test converts nitrites to an orange-red color.

Sodium rhodizonate reacts with traces of lead to make
purple spots.
16
and Impressions
Toolmarks
Tools often used in burglaries may leave a mark.
Class characteristics: type, size, shape

Individual characteristics: features from wear and damage
17
and Impressions
Lab Activity: Matching Toolmarks
Photography and casting are important to match tool with mark.
18
and Impressions
Impressions
Shoeprints
Class characteristics—
manufacturer, type, model, size
Individual characteristics—
wear patterns, nicks, marks,
occlusions (like pebbles or sticks)
19
and Impressions
Impressions, continued
Shoeprints
Captured by oblique-angle photography
or chemical enhancement; also by casting
in soil, or lifting.
20
and Impressions
Treated much the same as shoeprints
Tire Treads
Class characteristics involve design, size, type, and model.

Wear and damage cause defects that can lead to individualization.
21
and Impressions
Tire Treads
TreadMate is a database containing data on more than 5,000 vehicle tires

and tread patterns.
22
and Impressions
Bite Marks
Result from assault or sexual attack, common in
domestic violence
Individual evidence, if enough impressions
Bite marks were the prime evidence in the conviction of serial

killer Ted Bundy.
23
and Impressions
Serial Numbers
Restoration of serial numbers
Items of value may have ID numbers stamped into them.

Grinding is usually used to obliterate identification numbers.
To restore ID numbers on metal, an acid etching solution is employed.
HCl-CuCl2
24
and Impressions
Forensics: Debate
Both Sides of the Issue; Gun Control Laws
Should gun sales and ownership be
subject to federal regulation?
Introduction
Pro/con sides
Assertion
Evidence
Personal opinion
25

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Firearm Tool Marks

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Firearms, Toolmarks,

In 2004, there were 12,000 homicides in the United States.

Lands and grooves are class

that can serve as individual

Rimfire and centerfire cartridges

Cartridge Case, continued

Firing pin marks

Features of a Semiautomatic Handgun

Gunshot Residue (GSR)

The Greiss test converts nitrites to an orange-red color.

Class characteristics: type, size, shape

Lab Activity: Matching Toolmarks

Photography and casting are important to match tool with mark.

Class characteristics involve design, size, type, and model.

TreadMate is a database containing data on more than 5,000 vehicle tires

Bite marks were the prime evidence in the conviction of serial

Items of value may have ID numbers stamped into them.

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