Flow visualization of gunshot residue plumes from handguns.

This video content contains flow visualization footage of the plume dynamics generated during the discharge of a Springfield 9mm handgun. The gun range is a modified 12 m (40 ft) sea cargo container specifically designed for handheld firearms research and includes an advanced air filtration system that can be turned on or off. The air filtration system is off during these experiments. In each video, a laser light-sheet is positioned either horizontally or vertically and bisects the barrel of the firearm. A custom shooter mount is used to position the shooter in a repeatable position for each shot. Below is a list of each video, along with a brief explanation of the setup. Ventilation ON: This video shows a single shot from the handgun with the vertical laser light sheet. The range ventilation is on. A large plume of gunshot residue (GSR) emerges from the firearm immediately after the shot is fired and then is swept downstream from the shooter. Ventilation OFF: This video shows a single shot from the handgun with the vertical laser light sheet. The range ventilation is off. A large plume of GSR emerges from the firearm immediately after the shot is fired. The plume has a downstream velocity due to the direction of the bullet, but much of the plume remains near the vicinity of the shooter. Receiver comparison: This video compares two individual shooting events of a single shot from the handgun with the vertical laser light sheet. The range ventilation is off. The gun in the upper scenario of the video had only a single round in the magazine prior to shooting. The gun in the lower scenario of the video had multiple rounds in the magazine prior to shooting. The goal here was to visualize differences in GSR plume dynamics when the receiver is open vs. closed after a shooting event. 5 rapid shots: This video shows 5 rapid shots from the handgun with the vertical laser light sheet. The range ventilation is off. A large plume of gunshot residue (GSR) emerges from the firearm immediately after the shot is fired. The plume has a downstream velocity due to the direction of the bullets, but much of the plume remains near the vicinity of the shooter.Vertical GSR: This video shows a single shot from the handgun with the vertical laser light sheet. The range ventilation is off. The field of view is slightly different in this video compared to the previous examples, and the source of the laser sheet is visible in the top right corner. A large plume of gunshot residue (GSR) emerges from the firearm immediately after the shot is fired. The plume has a downstream velocity due to the direction of the bullet, but much of the plume remains near the vicinity of the shooter.Horizontal GSR: This video shows a single shot from the handgun with the horizontal laser light sheet. The range ventilation is off. The light sheet can be seen as a green line on the wall of the gun range. A large plume of gunshot residue (GSR) emerges from the firearm immediately after the shot is fired. The plume has a downstream velocity due to the direction of the bullet, but much of the plume remains near the vicinity of the shooter.Orthogonal light sheets: This video overlays both the Vertical GSR and horizontal GSR videos on top of each other to help visualize the GSR plume in more than one dimension. In each case, the handgun fires a single shot, and the range ventilation is off. A large plume of gunshot residue (GSR) emerges from the firearm immediately after the shot is fired. The plume has a downstream velocity due to the direction of the bullet, but much of the plume remains near the vicinity of the shooter.

Tags: firearms, flow-visualization, forensics, gunshot-residue, laser-light-sheet, plume-dynamics
Organization: National Institute of Standards and Technology