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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
Todd Weller, Subcommittee Chair, Weller Forensics, LLC
Erica Lawton, Subcommittee Vice Chair, Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences; University of South Alabama
Justine Kreso, Subcommittee Executive Secretary, Onondaga County Center for Forensic Sciences
Members
Carey M. Alvarez Bacha, Unified Metropolitan Forensic Crime Laboratory
Michael Beddow, Phoenix Police Department 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
Eric Collins, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives
Kyle Felix, United States Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory
Stefanie Happ, El Paso County Sheriff's Office
Stacey Hartman, Indiana State Police
Ryan Lilien, Cadre Research Labs
Max Morris, Iowa State University (Statistics Task Group representative)
Rebecca Mullen, Arkansas State Crime Laboratory (Quality Task Group representative)
Kevin Rippman, Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives
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 (Legal Task Group representative)
Eric Warren, SEP Forensic Consultants
Alan Zheng, National Institute of Standards and Technology
Firearms & Toolmarks Affiliate List
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 Standard 096, Standard Method for the Examination and Documentation of Ammunition and Ammunition Components. 2022. 1st. Ed. (added October 3, 2023).
- 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).
- ANSI/ASB Standard 162, Standard for the Forensic Examination and Documentation of Non-firearm Tools and Non-firearm Toolmarks. 2024. 1st. Ed. (added July 2, 2024).
- 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).
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.
- ASB Standard 105e2, Minimum Education Requirements for Firearm and Toolmark Examiner Trainees. 202x. (revision of ASB 105-21).
Standards Under Development
- OSAC 2023-S-0018, Standard Test Method for the Examination and Restoration of Obliterated Serial Numbers and Other Markings.
- OSAC 2023-S-0028, Best Practice Recommendation for the Resolution of Conflicts in Toolmark Value Determinations and Source Conclusions.
- OSAC 2024-S-0002, Standard Test Method for the Examination and Comparison of Toolmarks for Source Attribution.
- OSAC 2024-N-0010, Requirements and Recommendations for Competency Testing in Forensic Firearm and Toolmark Laboratories.
- OSAC 2024-S-0014, Best Practice Recommendation for Muzzle to Witness Panel Distance Measurement and Estimation of Uncertainty.
- Standard Test Method for Muzzle-to-Garment Distance Determinations.
- Standard for 3D Virtual Comparison Microscopy for Firearm and Toolmark Analysis.
- Expression of Source Conclusions.
- Distance Determination.
- Technical Review.
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