Technical Definitions
Ammunition |
|
According to the Criminal Code of Canada, a cartridge containing a projectile that is designed to be discharged from a firearm, including but not limited to caseless cartridge and a shot shell.
Angle of Impact |
|
The angle formed between the path taken by the projectile and the targeted surface.
Ballistics |
|
The study of a projectile in motion.
Class characteristics |
|
Intentional design characteristics for a group or family of firearms that are predetermined by the manufacturer. This can include calibre, number of lands and grooves, direction of twist, firing pin shape etc.
Distance determination |
|
A technique used to determine the distance between the muzzle and the target surface at the time of discharge by studying the discharge patterns made by the specific firearm at different known distances and comparing it to the pattern seen in the questioned evidence.
Firearm |
|
According to the Criminal Code of Canada, any barreled weapon from which any shot, bullet or other projectile can be discharged which is capable of causing serious bodily injury or death to a person and includes any frame or receiver of such a barreled weapon or anything that can be adapted for use is classified as a firearm.
Firearms discharge residue (FDR) |
|
A mixture of burnt/unburnt propellant, soot and various other combustion products that are produced upon the firing of a firearm that are deposited onto the target surface and their projection patterns can be used to estimate the distance between the muzzle and the target plane.
Firearms/Toolmark identification |
|
A forensic science discipline focused on the determination of whether a bullet, cartridge case, or other ammunition component was fired by a particular firearm, or a particular tool was used to create a set of marks. Components of the tool or the marks that the tool makes are examined using a compound microscope, to identify and compare class and individual characteristics to determine whether or not they originated from a common source.
Individual characteristics |
|
Characteristics that are incidental to manufacture and specific to a particular firearm; can be caused by either use, abuse, or as a result of the manufacturing process. These characteristics are unique to that specific tool or firearm.
Integrated Ballistics Identification System (IBIS) |
|
A system that assists the analyst in comparing several digital images of fired bullets and cartridge cases that are collected from the scene to other images uploaded from other shooting scenes. The network is both National and International.
MNRF |
|
Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.
Shooting Scene Reconstruction |
|
The use of trajectory analysis and the characteristic marks deposited by the bullet/shot to explain the possible sequence of events at a shooting scene.
SIU |
|
Special Investigations Unit; responsible for investigating circumstances involving police that have resulted in a death, serious injury, or allegations of sexual assault of a civilian in the province of Ontario.
Trajectory |
|
Determination of the direction and the angle of impact between the projectile and the targeted surface.
According to the Criminal Code of Canada a cartridge is anything that contains a projectile that is designed to be discharged from a firearm; this includes caseless cartridge and a shot shell; a complete unit of ammunition with 4 main components: primer, case, propellant, and projectile.
A component of the cartridge that is the portion of the cartridge that takes flight when firing a firearm; can be a bullet, slug, or any component used to be propelled upon discharge.
According to the Criminal Code of Canada, any barreled weapon from which any shot, bullet or other projectile can be discharged which is capable of causing serious bodily injury or death to a person and includes any frame or receiver of such a barreled weapon or anything that can be adapted for use is classified as a firearm.
A cartridge that is used in a shotgun; often a centrefire and contains multiple pellets or a slug.
1. Firearm: a measure of the diameter of the bore in a firearm
2. Cartridge case: a measure of the diameter of the bullet it is capable of being loaded with, followed by a name associated with its dimensions
3. Bullet: a measure of the diameter of the bullet
The depressed parts of the rifling in the barrel of a firearm.
The raised parts of the rifling in the barrel of a firearm.
A component of the firearm that is used to strike the primer of the cartridge.
The opening at the end of the barrel from where the bullet or shot emerges and leaves the firearm.
Spherical projectiles in a shotshell typically composed of lead, steel, tin, zinc etc, that are released upon discharge. Useful for shorter range targets and hunting.
The basic unit of a firearm which houses the firing mechanism and to which the barrel and stock/grip are assembled.
The chemical composition that generates gas when ignited by the primer. The gas propels the projectile(s). Also known as gunpowder.
Process that allows the primer at the base of the cartridge to be impacted by the firing pin and ignite the powder.
A measure of the diameter of the bullet it is capable of being loaded with, followed by a name associated with its dimensions.
According to the Criminal Code of Canada, a cartridge containing a projectile that is designed to be discharged from a firearm, including but not limited to caseless cartridge and a shot shell.
Intentional design characteristics for a group or family of firearms that are predetermined by the manufacturer. This can include calibre, number of lands and grooves, direction of twist, firing pin shape etc.
Characteristics that are incidental to manufacture and specific to a particular firearm; can be caused by either use, abuse, or as a result of the manufacturing process. These characteristics are unique to that specific tool or firearm.
Determination of the direction and the angle of impact between the projectile and the targeted surface.
The angle formed between the path taken by the projectile and the targeted surface.
