There is a Firearms and Toolmarks section in each of the four laboratories, with a total of twelve qualified examiners statewide. These are full service sections providing all examinations of firearms for operability and the comparison of bullets, cartridge cases, and shotshell cases to determine if they were fired from a particular firearm. Other examinations conducted are the examination of toolmarks to determine if they were produced by a particular tool, examination and processing of obliterated serial numbers on firearms in order to restore them, and analyze clothing and other objects for the presence of gunshot residue and gunshot residue patterns in order to determine the distance a firearm was at the time of discharge. Examiners in the section provide instruction to the law enforcement community covering the capabilities as well as proper laboratory methodology for collecting, marking, preservation and submission of evidence, The examiners also provide assistance and training to the medical examiners' office and the legal profession.
Computer technology is the latest addition aiding the firearms examiner.
This is a database driven multimedia system designed to increase the effectiveness of forensic laboratories by maintaining open case files. Our system, which connects all four of our laboratories not only to each other, but also to the laboratories in Maryland and Washington D.C., maintains images of cartridge cases, shotshell cases, and bullets that are recovered from crime investigations. These images are stored in the database and used for analysis.