Firearms
Our highly skilled firearms team has considerable depth of experience across a wide range of firearm casework, using specialist equipment and testing within validated and accredited processes.
Working from our impressive on-site firearms facilities as well as attending scenes, we are specialists in the analysis of firing marks, firing distance, trajectory, and gunshot wounds, and we are accredited to the ISO 17025 standard, ensuring we offer a first-class, robust service.
Leading the way: Our firearms team focuses on the effective evaluation of evidence by identifying the relevant issue and assessing the probability of the findings under two competing propositions. This approach is followed by very few forensic firearms institutes worldwide and helps ensure useful evidence is not dismissed as inconclusive, while providing a robust and balanced report. Our team works in close collaboration with KFS forensic experts at our other sites, for example, in relation to DNA/trace evidence recovery and interpretation.
Casework experience: Our team has worked on many major and sensitive investigations, as well as historic reviews, and are accustomed to the complex nature and urgent requirements of large-scale enquiries. Our wide casework experience covers all stages of a shooting incident investigation and any subsequent trial.
Professional facilities: We have a range of professional facilities at our disposal, including a forensic firing range with water tank, full firearms forensic workshop facilities and a microscopy unit.
3D printed firearms: Our team can assess 3D printed firearms, parts and associated materials, and also review digital files and documents that may relate to 3D printing of firearms.
Firearm legislation: We have a detailed, up-to-date knowledge of the relevant firearm legislation and case law. This enables us to provide fair, reliable consultation and reports, with the ability to identify alternatives where the legislation is unclear or where the court decision is not easily predicted.
Our firearms team specialises in the assessment of
- Classification of firearms and ammunition
- Comparison of firing marks
- Firing distance using the pattern of shot pellets or residues
- Trajectory (track) of a fired bullet or pellet, allowing for deflection or ricochet
- Gunshot wounds and suspected gunshot damage
- Impacted material and damage on fired bullets or pellets
- Mechanical operating condition and trigger pull force
- Examining converted or modified guns and ammunition, particularly reactivated firearms and converted blank-firing guns
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