Cmrj341 | Law homework help

CMRJ341

Rochelle31150 WORDS AGREES OR DISAGREES NEEDED IN 1 HOURS

• Discuss the tests that are currently used to determine whether a person has fired or handled a firearm. Are these tests conclusive? Why or why not?

Currently there are two tests that law enforcement uses to determine whether a person has fired a firearm. The first is where the hands are swabbed for gunshot residue. Unfortunately, this type of testing cannot determine when and what type of firearm was used. The second type is to look for residue on a persons clothing. This procedure can sometime prove valuable to determine the distance between the muzzle and the target. Often the residue is so minute that it will take a microscopic analyzation to include chemical testing. There are limitations to residue testing. It will not tell you the type of firearm that was used. The good part is if bullets are found within the scene, they can be compared to other evidence and they can be traced to the type and caliber of the weapon. According to Brozek-Mucha (2017), the forensic expertise that may produce evidence of a person being involved in a shooting incident has always been the most demanding one and concerned the identification of particles as characteristic or consistent with gunshot residue.