- List two reasons why striations on bullets fired from the same gun may vary slightly.
- Besides the barrel, what parts of a firearm may leave distinctive markings on a shell cartridge?
- Why does a firearms examiner test-fire bullets from a suspect barrel?
- What is distance determination? Describe two situations in which distance determination can establish the facts of a shooting incident.
- What evidence does an investigator study to make a distance determination? How can test-firing a suspect weapon help the investigator make a distance determination?
- List three characteristics of a bullet hole that indicate that the shot was fired at extremely close range.
- What is the Greiss test and what two pieces of information can it provide to an investigator?
- How is shot pattern used to make a distance determination for shotgun blasts? What factors other than distance to target can affect the distance determination?
- What evidence do investigators look for when trying to determine whether a suspect has fired a handgun? Where is such evidence typically found and why?
- Why does analysis of primer residue from a suspect’s hands produce a low rate of positive results? Why is such analysis typically ineffective in locating primer residue from a .22-caliber gun?
- Describe how a criminalist restores an obliterated serial number on a weapon.
- Why would an investigator not pick up a weapon by its barrel with a pencil or stick in order to protect latent fingerprints? How should suspect firearms be handled in such a situation?
- What characteristics of a suspect firearm should an investigator record before unloading it? Why should the investigator number the chambers and cartridges when unloading a suspect weapon?
- What is the investigator’s primary concern when collecting and handling bullets and cartridge cases? Why must the investigator exercise extreme caution when removing a bullet lodged in a wall or other object?
- Name two types of marks that impart individuality to a tool and explain how the marks are made.
- What techniques does an investigator use to analyze tool marks that cannot be removed from a crime scene? What is the disadvantage of this technique?
- What is the first thing the investigator does before handling or moving any impression at a crime scene? Why is this considered merely a backup or precautionary procedure?
- What kinds of impression evidence might a forensic odontologist be asked to analyze? How might this help identify a suspect?