Chapter 18
Bang! Bang!: Analyzing Firearms Evidence
IN THIS CHAPTER
Getting to know guns
Analyzing bullets and shell casings
Matching rifling patterns
Handling gunshot residues
Guns are a source of pleasure and sport for many people and, when used properly, are safe. But watch a movie, any movie, and odds are that someone, and often several someones, will be shot. Guns have been a movie staple for many years. Old westerns always involved a gunfight or two, and if you view any current TV dramas, you’re likely to see that cops, private investigators, criminals, gang members, and just about everyone has a gun. And real life isn’t far behind. Watch the news or read a newspaper any day of the week, and you’re bound to find that a gun was used in some illegal way.
In fact, guns commonly are used in criminal activities. Besides their obvious capacity for murder and injury, guns are an effective means for gaining control. In armed robberies, abductions, and rapes, having a gun can ensure compliance from the victims. Deaths from gunshots can be accidental, suicidal, or homicidal. In a homicide, ...
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