Abstract
ABSTRACT In some countries, airguns capable of inflicting injuries are legally regulated and considered to be controlled firearms. In this study, the deformation of witness plates was utilized to assess the wounding potential of airguns. A series of firing tests was conducted using four airguns and two lead ball-type projectiles. The impact velocity (V) and energy density (ED) of the projectiles fired at the witness plates were determined based on a ballistic chronograph. The deformation depths (H) of the uncracked and unperforated witness-plates were measured. Correlation analysis revealed that H was linearly correlated with V. The coefficient of determination between H and V was greater than 0.99. Two-variable linear equations were employed to calculate the evaluated impact velocity (VE) and energy density (EDE). Validation firing tests were conducted using four real-case airguns seized and submitted by local police departments. To calculate VE and EDE, we employed H and linear equations, respectively. The percentage difference between ED and EDE was less than or equal to 12%. These results demonstrate that the witness-plate deformation method is an efficient presumptive test for reducing backlogs of muzzle energy examinations of airguns in forensic laboratories.
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