Ballistic Fingerprinting

By Jeff Chan (with some additions from Syd)

NSSF Press Release:
http://www.nssf.org/releases/101602.htm
http://rkba.org/research/nssf/ballistic-fingerprint.16oct02.txt

NSSF Ballistic Imaging Fact Sheet:
http://www.nssf.org/releases/101602_BIFS.htm

NSSF copy of California State report on Ballistic Fingerprinting:
http://www.nssf.org/PDF/CA_study.pdf
http://rkba.org/research/nssf/CA_study.pdf

NSSF copy of H.R. 3491:
http://www.nssf.org/PDF/HR3491.pdf
http://rkba.org/research/nssf/HR3491.pdf

Lockyer covering up doj report condemning ballistic imaging
DOJ experts gagged by CA attorney general
http://www.crpa.org/pressrls110202.html

California DOJ Follow-Up Report On Ballistic “Fingerprinting” Confirms Technology Not Feasible
http://www.crpa.org/pressrls011303.html

Flashbunny.org slideshow, clearly explains problems:
http://www.flashbunny.org/content/file.19

Beltway Killer Media Response Kit
Firearms Training

How Reliable Is Ballistic Fingerprinting?
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,66007,00.html

Exploiting Mass Murder By Dr. Michael S. Brown
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2002/10/19/230622.shtml

The weaknesses of ballistic fingerprinting
http://www.ccrkba.org/pub/rkba/news/BallisticImaging.htm

A tough call on gun ‘fingerprinting’
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/opinion/article/0,1299,DRMN_38_1491884,00.html

If ballistic fingerprinting worked…
D.C.-Area Police Know Caliber of Sniper’s Bullets, but Gun Remains a Mystery
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20021023_213.html

The Hardyville Study on the Effectiveness of Ballistic Fingerprinting
http://www.sierratimes.com/02/10/21/ar-clairewolfe.htm

Not So Fast. Ballistic fingerprinting.
National Review Online. Oct. 23, 2002.
Dave Kopel with Paul H. Blackman.
http://www.nationalreview.com/kopel/kopel102302.asp

Does The United States Need A National Database For Ballistic Fingerprints?
By Stephen P. Halbrook
Technically, the proposal just isn’t feasible as a crime-fighting tool.
http://www.insightmag.com/news/320579.html/

As we know, it’s easy to change a firearm so that its so-called “ballistic fingerprint” no longer matches: change the barrel, firing pin, extractor or bolt, file or sand, etc. So the only real use of so-called “ballistic fingerprinting” is for a national gun registration database. Such databases almost always lead to confiscation. It would not even help solve many crimes. Don’t grant them that advantage since it’s based on the false premise that these identification methods are perfect and permanent. They are neither.

Jeff Chan
mailto:[email protected]
http://rkba.org/