NCJ Number
172053
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 42 Issue: 3 Dated: (May 1997) Pages: 466-474
Date Published
1997
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This article reports on the findings of a review of the literature that pertains to identification criteria for firearms and toolmark identification.
Abstract
Thirty-four articles were reviewed, including empirical studies of consecutively manufactured barrels, firing pins, breechfaces, and assorted tools. Also reviewed were mathematical and computer models developed for the creation of standard identification criteria. Not all of the studies have generated quantifiable numbers that those in the legal field link to scientific progress; however, all of the studies reviewed for this paper were based, at least in part, on the scientific method, which tests hypotheses by experimenting and making observations. Just because some numbers are not generated does not make a study less scientific. Part of the problem of gaining acceptance for firearms and toolmark identifications stems from the way identification testimony is presented, or not presented, in courts. It is incumbent upon qualified examiners to know their field well. Further, examiners must review their own basis for their identification criteria. In testifying in a court of law, examiners must articulate their criteria for identification and justify their use in a court of law. The articles reviewed in this paper may be used in combination with arduous microscopic training in known match and known nonmatch comparisons to help establish one's criteria for identification. 35 references