by Steven A. Symes, Ph.D. et al. for the U.S. Department of Justice. Available through the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (2010)
Firearms
National Academy of Sciences Report
See pp. 150-155 for the National Research Counsel’s assessment of the discipline of Toolmark and Firearms Identification.
The Controversy Concerning Gunshot Residues Examinations
by Dennis L. McGuire, M.S., Forensic Magazine – discusses the lack of a uniform standard for GSR analyses based upon validated studies. States that until those studies are completed, “positive determinations of GSR should be seriously scrutinized.”
The Controversy Concerning Gunshot Residues ExaminationsRead More
Brian J. Heard, Firearms and Ballistics: Examining and Interpreting Forensic Evidence (2d ed)
Ballistic Imaging
The National Academies Press, 2008. Provides information about the range of acceptable conclusions in this field, as well as the lack of error rate and subjectivity of the comparison techniques.
Daubert Challenges to Firearms (“Ballistics”) Identifications
Article by Paul Gianelli
Daubert Challenges to Firearms (“Ballistics”) IdentificationsRead More
FBI Lab Scraps Gunfire Residue
by Julie Bykowicz, The Baltimore Sun. 2006 article which discusses a 2001 contamination study and the FBI’s decision to no longer analyze gunshot residue in its investigations.
Lucien C. Haag, Shooting Incident Reconstruction
Edward E. Hueske, Practical Analysis and Reconstruction of Shooting Incidents
Summary of the FBI Laboratory’s Gunshot Residue Symposium, May 31-June 3, 2005
Article that summarizes the findings of a group of scientists and practitioners who met to address issues with gunshot residue analysis and attempt to create guidelines for this type of analysis. This document references several studies that have been published regarding contamination of subjects and proper collection, testing, and reporting procedures.
Summary of the FBI Laboratory’s Gunshot Residue Symposium, May 31-June 3, 2005Read More