Crime Laboratory

Firearm Analysis

When a bullet blasts through a gun barrel, the microscopic grooves and scrapings left on the projectile are the key to matching a bullet to a specific gun. Each firearm, whether mass manufactured or hand made, has its own unique tool markings that leave distinct grooves on the fired bullet and shell casing. Tool markings are as unique as a fingerprint. Examiners use microscopic comparisons to identify and catalog tool marks and match them. Lake County Crime Laboratory partners with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in its National Integrated Ballistic Network (NIBIN) to link crimes and identify gun owners across the country. Weapons experts at the Lake County Crime Laboratory have more than 20 years experience matching bullets and spent casings found at a crime scene to a particular gun.