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Firearms & Toolmarks Subcommittee
The Firearms & Toolmarks Subcommittee focuses on standards and guidelines related to the examination of firearm and toolmark evidence. This includes the comparison of microscopic toolmarks on bullets, cartridge cases, and other ammunition components and may also include firearm function testing, serial number restoration, muzzle-to-object distance determination, tools, and toolmarks.
Officers | Members | Standards | Other Work Products
Officers
Erica Lawton, Subcommittee Chair, Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences; University of South Alabama
Todd Weller, Subcommittee Vice Chair, Weller Forensics, LLC
Melissa Oberg, Subcommittee Executive Secretary, Indiana State Police
Members
Carey M. Alvarez Bacha, Unified Metropolitan Forensic Crime Laboratory
Zachary Carr, Johnson County Sheriff's Office Criminalistics Laboratory
James Carroll, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Crime Laboratory
Theodore Chavez, Federal Bureau of Investigation
Stefanie Happ, El Paso County Sheriff's Office
Stacey Hartman, Indiana State Police
Justine Kreso, Onondaga County Center for Forensic Sciences
Ryan Lilien, Cadre Research Labs
Stephanie Madon, Iowa State University (Human Factors Task Group representative)
Rebecca Mullen, Arkansas State Crime Laboratory (Quality Task Group representative)
Nicholas Petraco, City University of New York
Kevin Rippman, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
James (Steve) Scott, Self-employed
Maneka Sinha, University of Maryland, School of Law (Legal Task Group representative)
Johannes Soons, National Institute of Standards and Technology
Michael Stocker, National Institute of Standards and Technology
Raymond Valerio, Queens District Attorney's Office
Ted Vorburger, National Institute of Standards and Technology/Stratevia
Eric Warren, SEP Forensic Consultants
Alan Zheng, National Institute of Standards and Technology (Statistics Task Group representative)
Standards
On the OSAC Registry
- ANSI/ASB Best Practice Recommendation 060, Guidelines for Barrel and Overall Length Measurements of Firearms, 2021, 1st Ed. (added May 2, 2023).
- ANSI/ASB Standard 061, Firearms and Toolmarks 3D Measurement Systems and Measurement Quality Control, 2021, 1st Ed. (added March 1, 2022).
- ANSI/ASB Standard 062, Standard for Topography Comparison Software for Toolmark Analysis, 2021, 1st Ed. (added August 2, 2022).
- ANSI/ASB Standard 063, Implementation of 3D Technologies in Forensic Firearm and Toolmark Comparison Laboratories, 2021, 1st Ed. (added August 2, 2022).
- ANSI/ASB Best Practice Recommendation 068, Safe Handling of Firearms and Ammunition, 2020, 1st Ed. (added April 6, 2021).
- ANSI/ASB Standard 093, Standard Test Method for the Examination and Testing of Firearms, 2020, 1st Ed. (added November 2, 2021).
- ANSI/ASB Best Practice Recommendation 107, Best Practice Recommendation for Measuring Trigger Pull of a Firearm and Estimating Its Uncertainty, 2022, 1st Ed. (added September 5, 2023).
- OSAC 2021-N-0012, Standard for Requirements and Recommendations for a Firearm and Toolmark Examiner Training Program (added October 4, 2022 and sent to ASB for further development and publication).
Published by a Standards Developing Organization (SDO) & Eligible for the OSAC Registry
- ANSI/ASB Standard 096, Standard Method for the Examination and Documentation of Ammunition and Ammunition Components, 2022, 1st Ed.
- ANSI/ASB Standard 105, Minimum Education Requirements for Firearm and Toolmark Examiner Trainees, 2021, 1st Ed.
At an SDO for Further Development & Publication
- OSAC 2021-N-0012, Standard for Requirements and Recommendations for a Firearm and Toolmark Examiner Training Program (OSAC Proposed Standard on the Registry).
- Range of Source Conclusions and Criteria in Toolmark Examinations.
- Standard for Verification of Source Conclusions in Toolmark Examinations.
- Standard Method for the Examination and Documentation of Non-Firearm Tools and Toolmarks.
Standards Under Development
- Standard Test Method for the Examination and Restoration of Obliterated Serial Numbers.
- Standard Test Method for Muzzle-to-Garment Distance Determinations.
- Standard for 3D Virtual Comparison Microscopy for Firearm and Toolmark Analysis.
- Best Practice Recommendation for Muzzle to Target Measurements and Measuring its Uncertainty.
- Standard Test Method for the Examination and Comparison of Toolmarks for Source Attribution.
- Supporting Documentation of Source Conclusions in Toolmark Examinations.
- Guidelines for Reporting of Source Conclusions in Toolmark Examinations.
- Standard for Documentation of Comparisons.
- Best Practices for the Resolution of Conflicts in Toolmark Source Conclusions.
- Technical Report on Reporting Results from 3D Measurement Systems and Algorithm-Assisted/Based Comparisons.
Other Work Products
Process Maps
- Firearms Process Map, January 19, 2021.
Research & Development Needs
- See the research and development needs identified by the Firearms & Toolmarks Subcommittee.
Reference Documents
Note: Subcommittee position statements or responses to data collections by the subcommittee do not necessarily represent the position of OSAC or NIST.
- OSAC Firearms and Toolmarks Subcommittee's Response to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology's (PCAST) Request for Additional References - Submitted December 14, 2016.
- OSAC Firearms & Toolmarks Subcommittee's Response to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology's (PCAST) Request for Information – Submitted December 23, 2015.
Webinars, Presentations & Training Videos
- OSAC Firearms & Toolmarks Update, Association of Firearm and Toolmark Examiners (AFTE) Meeting, August 2021.
- NIST OSAC Firearms & Toolmarks Overview & Update, AFTE 49th Annual Training Seminar, June 2018.
Discipline-Specific Bibliographies and Bibliographic References
These documents may contain information to help forensic scientists, judges, lawyers, researchers, and other readers better understand the nature, scope, and foundations of the individual disciplines as currently practiced. The identification of these documents does not represent an endorsement by OSAC or NIST. Only standards that are posted on the OSAC Registry and Technical Guidance documents, are endorsed by OSAC. The referenced documents may be subject to copyright. Note: Subcommittee position statements or responses to data collections by the subcommittee do not necessarily represent the position of OSAC or NIST.
- SWGGUN Guidelines for Barrel and Overall Length Measurements for Firearms
- SWGGUN Guidelines for Criteria for Identification
- SWGGUN Guidelines for Developing a Training Manual
- SWGGUN Guidelines for Documentation of the Examination of Tools and Toolmarks
- SWGGUN Guidelines for Documentation of the Examination of Ammo and Ammo Components
- SWGGUN Guidelines for Elimination Factors Related to FA-TM Examinations
- SWGGUN Guidelines for Forensic Examination Guidelines for Silencers
- SWGGUN Guidelines for Gunshot Residue Distance Determinations
- SWGGUN Guidelines for Projectile Path Reconstruction-Essential Elements
- SWGGUN Guidelines for the Documentation of Firearm Examinations
- SWGGUN Guidelines for the Standardization of Comparison Documentation
- SWGGUN Guidelines for Trigger Pull Analysis
- SWGGUN Minimum Qualifications for Experienced Firearm and Toolmark Examiners
- SWGGUN Minimum Qualifications for Firearm and Toolmark Examiner Trainees
- SWGGUN Code of Ethics
- SWGGUN Foundational Report
- SWGGUN Quality Assurance Guidelines
- SWGGUN Response to RDT&E
- SWGGUN Systemic Report
- SWGGUN Transition from ASCLD-LAB Legacy to ISO-IEC 17025