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As the epidemic of gunshot injuries and firearm fatalities continues to proliferate in the United States, knowledge regarding gunshot wound (GSW) injury and management is increasingly relevant to health-care providers. Unfortunately, existing guidelines are largely outdated, written in a time that high-velocity weapons and deforming bullets were chiefly restricted to military use. Advances in firearm technology and increased accessibility of military grade firearms to civilians has exacerbated the nature of domestic GSW injury and complicated clinical decision-making, as these weapons are associated with increased tissue damage and often result in retained bullets. Currently, there is a lack of literature addressing recent advances in the field of projectile-related trauma, specifically injuries with retained bullets. This review aims to aggregate the available yet dispersed findings regarding ballistics, GSW etiology, and treatment, particularly for cases involving retained projectiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

President Kennedy sustained 2 gunshot wounds on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas, while riding in the right-rear seat of the presidential limousine. The convertible top was down, and no special ballistic protection for the occupants was present.The ballistic events in the assassination and subsequent ballistic evidence were not fully understood then and continue to be misunderstood and often misrepresented today. These facts are largely the consequence of the very uncommon wound ballistic properties of the 6.5-mm Carcano bullets associated with the President's gunshot wounds and the visual responses of the President to his 2 gunshot wounds so often viewed in the 8-mm Zapruder film.An understanding of the wound ballistic characteristics associated with the John F. Kennedy assassination also applies to certain contemporary bullets. Such an understanding could assist forensic pathologists in future cases in evaluating and correctly interpreting gunshot wounds associated with these types of bullets.

The extremities are the most common anatomic location for gunshot wounds. Because of the prevalence of gunshot injuries, it is important that orthopaedic surgeons are knowledgeable about caring for them. The most common injuries seen with gunshot wounds are those of the soft tissues. Nonsurgical management of patients who have gunshot wounds with minimal soft-tissue disruption has been successfully accomplished in emergency departments for several years; this includes extremity wounds without nerve, intra-articular, or vascular injury. Stable, nonarticular fractures of an extremity have also been successfully treated with either minimal surgical or nonsurgical methods in the emergency department. Indications for surgical treatment include unstable fractures, intra-articular injuries, a significant soft-tissue injury (especially with skin loss), vascular injury, and/or a large or expanding hematoma.

Abstract: In response to the guidelines issued by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB-International) to establish traceability and quality assurance in U.S. crime laboratories, a NIST/ATF joint project entitled National Ballistics Imaging Comparison (NBIC) was initialized in 2008. The NBIC project aims to establish a National Traceability and Quality System for ballistics identifications in crime laboratories within the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN) of the U.S. NIST Standard Reference Material (SRM) 2460 bullets and 2461 cartridge cases are used as reference standards. 19 ballistics examiners from 13 U.S. crime laboratories participated in this project. They each performed 24 periodic image acquisitions and correlations of the SRM bullets and cartridge cases over the course of a year, but one examiner only participated in Phase 1 tests of SRM cartridge case. The correlation scores were collected by NIST for statistical analyses, from which control charts and control limits were developed for the proposed Quality System and for promoting future assessments and accreditations for firearm evidence in U.S. forensic laboratories in accordance with the ISO 17025 Standard. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in collaboration with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) has developed the Standard Reference Material (SRM) 2460 Bullets and 2461 Casings. NIST has also developed a 2D and 3D Topography Measurement and Correlation System for ballistics signature measurements. This system includes stylus instruments and a confocal microscope for 2D and 3D topography measurements, and a 2D and 3D topography correlation program developed by NIST. NIST and ATF are proposing to establish a National Ballistics Measurement Traceability and Quality System using these materials. In this paper, basic concepts and specific requirements for establishing ballistics measurement traceability are introduced; three key issues are discussed that include: (1) establishing a reference standard; (2) establishing an unbroken chain of calibrations; and (3) evaluating measurement uncertainty for both the geometrical topography measurements and the optical image correlations of the ballistics signatures. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Forensic science plays a critical role in the United States criminal legal system. For decades, many featurebased fields of forensic science, such as firearm and toolmark identification, developed outside the scientific community’s purview. The results of these studies are widely relied on by judges nationwide. However, this reliance is misplaced. Black-box studies to date suffer from inappropriate sampling methods and high rates of missingness. Current black-box studies ignore both problems in arriving at the error rate estimates presented to courts. We explore the impact of each type of limitation using available data from blackbox studies and court materials. We show that black-box studies rely on unrepresentative samples of examiners. Using a case study of a popular ballistics study, we find evidence that these nonrepresentative samples may commit fewer errors than the wider population from which they came. We also find evidence that the missingness in black-box studies is non-ignorable. Using data from a recent latent print study, we show that ignoring this missingness likely results in systematic underestimates of error rates. Finally, we offer concrete steps to overcome these limitations. Supplementary materials for this article are available online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the impact of ballistics imaging technology on the productivity of the Boston Police Department's Ballistic Unit. Value of ballistics imaging technology in law enforcement; Analysis of time series data with the use of negative binomial regression models; Results of cost-effectiveness estimates and qualitative evidence.

Abstract: Mathematical ballistics in the United States until the First World War was largely dependent on the work of European authors such as Francesco Siacci of Italy. The war brought with it a call to the American mathematical community for participation in ballistics problems. The community responded by sending mathematicians to work at newly formed ballistics research facilities at Aberdeen Proving Grounds and Washington, D.C. This paper focuses on the efforts of Forest Ray Moulton and details how he dealt with various aspects of a single problem: differential variations in the ballistic trajectory due to known factors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article discusses recent criminal decisions rendered by the U.S. courts. In a case on admissibility of expert testimony on ballistics, the defendant was indicted for first degree murder and upon a plea of not guilty was placed on trial and convicted of murder in the second degree. Testimony was admitted, over the objection of the defendant, of a witness who had made guns his "hobby'' and who identified the gun, admittedly used previously by defendant. The identification was made by comparison of the rifling of the revolver barrel with certain markings found on the fatal bullet. Held, on appeal, that the judgment be affirmed. A number of cases can now be cited in which there has been a decisive recognition of the admissibility of evidence based on the science of ballistics. A high degree of care in the determination of the qualifications of a proffered expert in this field is without doubt necessary. In certain cases, facts tending to identify the weapon used by the defendant have been testified to by so-called gun experts.

Reports on the development of a bullet signature measurement system based on a stylus instrument of the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the United States. Goal for the support of the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network; Set of digitized bullet signatures profiled from master bullets; Control of the tool path to qualify bullet signature differences.

Presents the study of the technological innovations for less-lethal kinetic energy munitions used in law enforcement in the U.S. Examinations taken to determine energy per unit area required to penetrate various regions of the body; Used of eight unembalmed postmortem human specimens in the testing experiment; Evaluation on the conducted test results.

As a result of the increasing number of weapons in this country, as many as 500,000 missile wounds occur annually, resulting in 50,000 deaths, significant morbidity, and striking socioeconomic costs. Wounds are generally classified as low-velocity (less than 2,000 ft/sec) or high-velocity (more than 2,000 ft/sec). However, these terms can be misleading; more important than velocity is the efficiency of energy transfer, which is dependent on the physical characteristics of the projectile, as well as kinetic energy, stability, entrance profile and path traveled through the body, and the biologic characteristics of the tissues injured. Although bullets are not sterilized on discharge, most low-velocity gunshot wounds can be safely treated nonoperatively with local wound care and outpatient management. Typically, associated fractures are treated according to accepted protocols for each area of injury. Treatment of low-velocity, low-energy fractures is generally dictated by the osseous injuries, as these are similar in many regards to closed fractures. Soft tissues play a more critical role in high-velocity and shotgun fractures, which are essentially open injuries. Aside from perioperative prophylaxis, antibiotics are probably required only for grossly contaminated wounds; however, because contamination is not always apparent, most authors still recommend routine prophylaxis. High-energy injuries and grossly contaminated wounds mandate aggressive irrigation and debridement, including a thorough search for foreign material. Open fracture protocols including external fixation or intramedullary nailing and intravenous antibiotic therapy for 48 to 72 hours should be instituted. If there is vascular damage, exploration and repair are best performed after prompt fracture stabilization. Evaluation of the "four Cs"-color, consistency, contractility, and capacity to bleed-provides valuable information regarding the viability of muscle. Skin grafting is preferable when tension is required for wound closure, although other soft-tissue procedures, such as use of local rotation flaps or free tissue transfer, may be necessary, especially for shotgun wounds. Distal neurologic deficit alone is not an indication for exploration, as it often resolves without surgical intervention.

This review outlines the foundations of ballistics and provides guidelines for the emergency care of those wounded by gunfire. It also describes the causes of recently increasing misinformation that is confusing and misleading trauma surgeons. Among these causes are an increasing firearm illiteracy, failure of the editorial and peer review in the trauma surgery literature to adequately evaluate wound ballistics papers, and widespread distortions promulgated by gun prohibitionist advocates. Solving these problems requires strict adherence to fundamental scientific method and the basic precepts of academic honesty and scholarly integrity.

Analysis of ballistics evidence (spent cartridge casings and bullets) has been a staple of forensic criminal investigation for almost a century. Computer-assisted databases of images of ballistics evidence have been used since the mid-1980s to help search for potential matches between pieces of evidence. In this article, we draw on the 2008 National Research Council Report' Ballistic Imaging to assess the state of ballistic imaging technology. in particular, we discuss the feasibility of creating a national reference ballistic imaging database (RBID) from test-fires of all newly manufactured or imported firearms. A national RBID might aid in using crime scene ballistic evidence to generate investigative leads to a crime gun's point of sale. We conclude that a national RBID is not feasible at this time, primarily because existing imaging methodologies have insufficient discriminatory power. We also examine the emerging technology of microstamping for forensic identification purposes: etching a known identifier on firearm or ammunition parts so that they can be directly read and recovered from crime scene evidence. Microstamping could provide a stronger basis for identification based on ballistic evidence than the status quo, but substantial further research. is needed to thoroughly assess its practical viability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops an analytical model for the ballistic impact response of fibrous materials of interest in body armor applications. It focuses on an un-tensioned 2D membrane impacted transversely by a blunt-nosed projectile, a problem that has remained unsolved for a half a century. Membrane properties are assumed characteristic of the best current body armor materials (Kevlar®, Spectra®, Zylon®, S2 glass), which have very high stiffness and strength per unit weight, and low strain-to-failure. Successful comparisons will be made with extensive experimental data on such material systems as reported by Cunniff [Decoupled response of textile body armor. Proc. 18th Int. Symp. of Ballistics, San Antonio, Texas, 1999a, pp. 814–821; Vs–Vr relationships in textile system impact. Proc. 18th Int. Symp. of Ballistics, San Antonio, Texas, 1999b; Dimensional parameters for optimization of textile-based body armor systems, Proc. 18th Int. Symp. of Ballistics, San Antonio, Texas, 1999c, pp. 1303–1310]. Our mathematical formulation draws on the seminal work of Rakhmatulin and Dem’yanov [Strength Under High Transient Loads, 1961, pp. 94–152]. Under constant projectile velocity we first develop self-similar solution forms for the tensile ‘implosion’ wave and the curved cone wave that develops in its wake. Through matching boundary conditions at the cone wave front, we obtain an accurate approximate solution for the membrane response including cone wave speed and strain distribution. We then consider projectile deceleration due to membrane reactive forces, and obtain results on cone velocity, displacement and strain concentration versus time. Other results obtained are the membrane ballistic limit, or V50 velocity, and the residual velocity when penetrated above this limit. We then derive an exact functional representation of a V50 ‘master curve’ found empirically by Cunniff [ibid] to reduce data for a wide variety of fabric systems impacted by blunt cylindrical projectiles. This curve is given in terms two dimensionless parameters based only on fiber mechanical properties and the ratio of the fabric areal density to the projectile mass divided by its area of fabric contact. Our functional representation has no fitting parameters beyond one reflecting uncertainty in the effective diameter of the impact zone relative to the projectile diameter, and even then the values are consistent across several experimental systems. The extremely successful comparison of our analytical model to experimental results in the literature raises fundamental questions about many long-held views on fabric system impact behavior and parameters thought to be important. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Based on three-dimensional (3D) topography measurements on correlation cells, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed the ‘NIST Ballistics Identification System (NBIS)’ aimed at accurate ballistics identifications and fast ballistics evidence searches. The 3D topographies are divided into arrays of correlation cells to identify ‘valid correlation areas’ and eliminate ‘invalid correlation areas’ from the matching and identification procedure. A ‘congruent matching cells’ (CMC)’ method using three types of identification parameters of the paired correlation cells (cross correlation function maximum CCFmax, spatial registration position in x–y and registration angle θ) is used for high accuracy ballistics identifications. ‘Synchronous processing’ is proposed for correlating multiple cell pairs at the same time to increase the correlation speed. The proposed NBIS can be used for correlations of both geometrical topographies and optical intensity images. All the correlation parameters and algorithms are in the public domain and subject to open tests. An error rate reporting procedure has been developed that can greatly add to the scientific support for the firearm and toolmark identification specialty, and give confidence to the trier of fact in court proceedings. The NBIS is engineered to employ transparent identification parameters and criteria, statistical models and correlation algorithms. In this way, interoperability between different ballistics identification systems can be more easily achieved. This interoperability will make the NBIS suitable for ballistics identifications and evidence searches with large national databases, such as the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laws restricting large ammunition magazines for semiautomatic weapons are intended to reduce firearm deaths and injuries by preventing gun attacks involving high numbers of shots. However, data on shootings from high-volume gunfire (HVG) incidents are extremely limited. This study examined gunshot victimisations resulting from HVG attacks (>10 shots fired) using police data on shootings in Minneapolis, Minnesota from January through August 2014 (n=135 to 167). Shots fired estimates were generated from police reports based on physical evidence recovered, reported gunshot victims, and accounts of witnesses and actors. HVG incidents accounted for 20%-28% of victims and were more likely to involve multiple victims. Most HVG cases seemed likely to have involved a gun with a large capacity magazine though these data were limited. Restricting large ammunition magazines may have greater potential for preventing shootings than previously estimated, but further studies of this issue are needed., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2019. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.)

Purpose: While generally reducing morbidity and mortality, TASER® electrical weapons have risks associated with their usage, including burn injuries and head and cervical trauma associated with uncontrolled falls. The primary non-fatal complications appear to be significant eye injury but no analysis of the mechanisms or suggested treatments has been published., Methods: We used a biomechanical model to predict the risk of eye injury as a function of distance from the weapon muzzle to the eye. We compared our model results to recently published epidemiological findings. We also describe the typical presentation and suggest treatment options., Results: The globe rupture model predicted that a globe rupture can be expected (50% risk) when the eye is within 6 m of the muzzle and decreases rapidly beyond that. This critical distance is 9 m for lens and retinal damage which is approximately the range of the most common probe cartridges. Beyond 9 m, hyphema is expected along with a perforation by the dart portion of the probe. Our prediction of globe rupture out to 6 m (out of a typical range of 9 m) is consistent with the published risk of enucleation or unilateral blindness being 69 ± 18%, with an eye penetration., Conclusions: Significant eye injury is expected from a penetration by an electrical weapon probe at close range. The risk decreases rapidly at extended distances from the muzzle. Not all penetrating globe injuries from electrical weapon probes will result in blindness., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The shortcomings of forensic evidence in the criminal justice system are now well known. But most scholarly attention has concentrated on "first-generation" forensic techniques such as hair or pattern analysis, bite marks, firearms, and ballistics. Moreover, most of the attention has centered on the investigative process, specifically the collection and analysis of evidence. This Essay turns the critical lens on scientific evidence in a different direction. It focuses on "second-generation" technologies--such as location tracking, biometrics, digital forensics, and other database-driven techniques, and it scrutinizes the adjudicative system--the "bail to jail" stream--rather than the investigative process. Ultimately, this Essay argues that almost every aspect of the adversarial process, as currently conceived, is ill-suited to ensuring the integrity of high-tech evidence. Specifically, the adversarial model demands individualized rather than collective inquiries, embraces secrecy rather than transparency, and privileges viva voce evidence over other forms of fact-gathering. Furthermore, it heavily depends upon the skill of counsel and in-court confrontation rather than out-of-court oversight and structural reform to address problems related to evidentiary integrity, and adopts rigid rules of finality grounded in part on an assumption that proof is always inconclusive. This Essay concludes that the eighteenth-century model of justice may be ill-suited to twenty-first-century evidence, and offers recommendations for a more reliable factfinding system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The management of 21 patients with 22 ureteral injuries from high velocity missiles is described and 6 cases are reported in detail. Ballistics should be considered in all wounds of violence. Débridement, internal stents, proximal diversion and thorough drainage are advocated.

US composite panel fabricator Fiber-Tech has significantly increased its participation in ballistics and military applications over the past few years as a result of homeland security concerns and the need for troop protection in Iraq and Afghanistan. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article focuses on the study regarding the terminal ballistics of an anticancer agents called kinase inhibitors. The agents were described as magic bullets because of the perceived function in eliminating the disease precisely and efficiently. There are three agents which were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and use in the study including the imatinib, sunitinib and sorafenib. The study found that kinase inhibitors has many uses except by being the magic bullet.

Focuses on a study that presented comparisons between high and low density cases for a number of ballistic parameters. Overview of the approach used to increase kinetic energy in the electrothermal-chemical guns in the United States; Description of gun system; Sensitivity to parameter changes; Conclusions.

This article presents updates on the field of criminal law and criminology in the U.S. as of July 1931. The University of North Carolina School of Law in conjunction with the Commission on Interracial Cooperation will be studying the problems confronting the law as a result of the prevalence of lynching, while as the National Probation Association, announces that the 1930 Year Book of the Association is ready for distribution. A variety of interesting topics is treated in the yearbook including the Status of Federal Probation, Probation Service Today,- Progress or Retrogression, The, Training and Recruiting of Probation Officers, and Trends of Probation. On the other hand, the School in Crime Detection conducted by the Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory of Northwestern University came to a successful close with a series of examinations including a test murder case involving a bullet-plugged dummy. The subjects studies included ballistics, toxicology, truth serum, lie detectors, firearm identification, psychology and chemistry in crime detection, handwriting, codes, serology, errors of eyewitnesses, medical fakes, fingers prints, microscopic work, riles of evidence and other phases of crime detection. Furthermore, two members of the Staff of the Crime Detection Laboratory are conducting extensive experiments with twilight sleep, induced by morphine and scopolamine, in an effort to detect deception.

The admissibility of nuclear forensics measurements and opinions derived from them in US Federal and State courts are based on criteria established by the US Supreme Court in the case of Daubert v. Merrell Dow and the 2000 Amendment of Rule 702 of the Federal Rules of Evidence. These criteria are being addressed by new efforts that include the development of certified reference materials (CRMs) to provide the basis for analytical method development, optimization, calibration, validation, quality control, testing, readiness, and declaration of measurement uncertainties. Quality data is crucial for all stages of the program, from R&D, and database development, to actual casework. Weakness at any point in the program can propagate to reduce the confidence of final conclusions. The new certified reference materials will provide the necessary means to demonstrate a high level of metrological rigor for nuclear forensics evidence and will form a foundation for legally defensible nuclear chemical analysis. The CRMs will allow scientists to devise validated analytical methods, which can be corroborated by independent analytical laboratories. CRMs are required for ISO accreditation of many different analytical techniques which may be employed in the analysis of interdicted nuclear materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This experiment tested the ability of undergraduate mock jurors (N=295) to draw appropriate conclusions from statistical data on the diagnostic value of forensic evidence. Jurors read a summary of a homicide trial in which the key evidence was a bullet lead "match" that was either highly diagnostic, non-diagnostic, or of unknown diagnostic value. There was also a control condition in which the forensic "match" was not presented. The results indicate that jurors as a group used the statistics appropriately to distinguish diagnostic from non-diagnostic forensic evidence, giving considerable weight to the former and little or no weight to the latter. However, this effect was attributable to responses of a subset of jurors who expressed confidence in their ability to use statistical data. Jurors who lacked confidence in their statistical ability failed to distinguish highly diagnostic from non-diagnostic forensic evidence; they gave no weight to the forensic evidence regardless of its diagnostic value. Confident jurors also gave more weight to evidence of unknown diagnostic value. Theoretical and legal implications are discussed.