Ballistics In The Field Of Criminal Justice

We live in a society where large parts of crimes such as; rape, assault, and burglary involve gun violence. One of the newest controversy surrounding the topic of gun control is the procedure known as “ballistic fingerprinting.” The impact of ballistic advancement has played a critical role in unraveling new levels of solving crimes in the criminal justice system. Ballistic fingerprinting specifies to a set strategy that depends exclusively on the imprints that a firearm leaves on a bullet to match it to the gun used to commit the crime. Ballistic fingerprinting requires gun manufacturers to test-fire the firearms they produce and store pictures of the ballistic markings left on the cartridge cases in a database so that law enforcements can

Let us start on how to collect and process expended projectiles and cartridge casings. When collecting expended casings, projectiles and remnants of shotgun ammunition each one should be numbered, photographed and measured for placement in a crime scene sketch (Tina Young, 2011). Each one collected should be placed in a pillbox or coin envelope then those should be placed into bigger envelopes or bags (Tina Young, 2011). If a projectile is stuck in a wall the section of the wall where the projectile is located should be removed (Tina Young, 2011). If a firearm found at a crime scene the best way to link it to the crime or other crimes is to test fire it into a water tank or ballistic gel. Once this has been done, the forensic tech can then compare the bullet and casing using a microscope. (Tina Young, 2011). If the firearm is not located then the casing or bullet can be ran through the National Ballistic Database. Now that we have talked about rendering firearms safe and also how they should be processed, now we can look at what information can be gained from the firearm and the cartridges and

Scene to one side or the other pending what side the gun was drawn on, on the person. If its shot up and down then the weapon was fired straight up and down, if it is at an angle then it depends on the angle of the gun where it had been targeted to be aimed towards, then how it was fired from the weapon.

The prosecutors firearm identification testimony for the case was poorly executed which allowed Waite to reexamine the bullets from the case and what he found was the rifling markings did not match up with the bullets that were test fired from Steielow’s gun. They determined that Stielow was not guilty due to the conclusion that his firearm was not used in the crime. Following this case Waite was inspired to develop a systematic process for documenting ballistics information to avoid making mistakes in later cases. After this Waite began to travel to different firearm manufacturers to document the process of creating the firearms to study the different characteristics in each.

This week’s reading is on the Cartridge and Firearms Identification. The measurement system used in cartridges and firearms is not universal or has a systematic reasoning on how a caliber or gage is determined, such as Europe and the United States has their own systems. But how ever there is NATO standard for the military. First we discussed calibers and how they are determined. The imperial system, by using fractions of an inch and designated as caliber, uses the interior bore diameter of the firearm, this originated with smooth-smooth bore arms. There are several ways to measure for the caliber; by measuring the interior diameter of the bore, from land to land, grove to grove, measuring the interior diameter of the casing neck, measuring

Most of the crimes that are committed in our society involve a handgun. Gunshot wounds can be very challenging on determining whether or not it was a suicide attempt or homicide. There are some indicators that assist investigators reach a conclusion on gunshot wounds. One of the indicators is the location of the gunshot wound such as the entry and exit points. For example, as the bullet passes through the skin inward and can often travel through the body on a straight path. Furthermore, the damage to the tissue around a gunshot wound helps the investigators with the determining the distance the weapon was fired from (Swanson, Chamelin, Territo, & Taylor, 2012).

Goddard composed an article in 1925 titled “Forensic Ballistics”. This article explained the analysis of firearm evidence by using a comparison microscope. The comparison microscope

The career I decided to research was that of a Ballistic Analyst. The job of a ballistic analyst includes examining bullet casings, firearms, ammunition, and clothing. The senior analyst would typically work in the field at the crime scene, while most of the analysts spend their day in a lab. The majority of the day is spent looking at something called a ballistic fingerprint. From any of the ballistics used or found at a crime scene, fingerprints may be found which is what the lab analyst will typically look for on any given day. After finding or not being able to find fingerprints, they will write detailed reports about their findings which may be sent directly to police officers or any person in the courtroom that may be used the help convict

Firearms are classified into three broad types handguns, rifles, and shotguns. Rifles and shotguns are both considered “long guns.” A semi-automatic weapon fires one bullet each time the user pules the trigger, it will also eject the empty shell after

If you’re a gun owner, the Internet is your playground. From solid data for your next loading project to ballistics resources that help you understand a bullet’s flight from ignition to target, there is a wealth of information. Honestly, it would be fair to say that the everyday average shooter has more resources at his disposal now then perhaps any other time in the history of marksmanship. But the right data is as elusive as the X-ring on a MR-31 target.

Gunshot spatter, varying by the caliber of the weapon is characterized by the forward or frontal spatter from the victim’s wound and the back spatter from the entrance wound. The forward or frontal spatter reveals a cone shaped pattern leaving a radiating pattern of a fine mist of bold droplets radiating out and growing larger from the center (Saferstein, R., 2011). It is noted that this type of atomized spatter generally does not travel more than two feet (Blood Spatter Evidence, n.d.). Conversely, back spatter leaves fewer atomized (mist) blood drops and are larger in comparison.

Ballistics deal with firearms. They deal with how they are used, why they are used, and why they are used frequently in the practice of murder. They can be used for abounding amounts of reasons, but the most common is that they need to be quick with what the criminal is doing. They are used in the practice of murder in view of the fact that they are quick and uncomplicated. This means that people are scared of guns so they won’t try anything and they are quick because a gun

Ballistic Analysis is forever changing science that allows people to create and develop new and different types of weapons.  These weapons may controversy leading to laws being made or it can create a unity between people, allowing them to be saved from a certain force or be able to kill an animal using the most efficient way possible.   Ballistic Analysis allows for more innovative ways for weapons to be made and used.   Ballistic Analysis also allows for new weapons to replace old weapons as

In addition, aside from these traits, ballistic coefficient is another important factor that must be considered to determine why each round has a different range and accuracy. Ballistic coefficient can be described as the measure of bullets effectiveness at retaining its velocity while in the air. This measure is included because it helps in analyzing how each round performs in relation to its weight, size, and velocity. The ballistic coefficients of the above rounds are listed so that comparisons can be carried out and any significant influences determined. The values are derived using a ballistic chart that incorporates bullet weight and diameter into calculations.

So what exactly is Ballistics? Ballistics is the science or study of the motion of projectiles and in the case of most firearms, these projectiles are the bullets. There are two things that affect the flight of a bullet once it has been shot out of the gun. These things are the drag of air on the bullet and the force of gravity acting upon the bullet.