Nontoxic ammunition: Challenges and perspectives for GSR identification

Abstract

AbstractGunshot residues (GSR) are one of the most important forensic traces in crimes involving firearm discharge, being the conventional GSR characterized by containing spheroidal particles composed of Pb, Ba, and Sb. Over the years, a wide range of techniques has been applied and improved to characterize the conventional GSR, with deserved emphasis on scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy‐dispersive x‐ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS). However, the introduction of nontoxic ammunition (NTA), or heavy metal‐free (HMF), on the market has triggered a search for new methodologies for GSR identification since methods based on the chemical and/or morphological profiles of conventional GSR are no longer appropriate for the analysis of this type of residues. This review highlights current methods and proposals for characterization of GSR from NTA, which involve either the search for characteristic chemical profiles or the insertion of selective markers in this new type of ammunition.This article is categorized under: Forensic Chemistry and Trace Evidence > Emerging Technologies and Methods Forensic Medicine > Imaging Modalities