Chapter 1 - History of forensic firearm examination

Abstract

Forensic firearm examination is heavily based on the scientific method; the core techniques utilized by scientists and practitioners have remained constant for well over a century. The observations and conclusions generated during the course of an investigation by a forensic firearm examiner are, when unobstructed by external or internal biases or influences, steeped in science that is practiced throughout the world. Changing only with the advances in techniques and technology, forensic firearm examination has profoundly relied on a single factor throughout its history: the analysis of individual characteristics.