Ballistic Imaging & Microstamping Technology ..........

National Academy of Sciences Study Advocates Against
Creation of a National Ballistic Imaging Database;

Urges Further Study of New Microstamping Technology

NEWTOWN, CT -- Today the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) released an extensive study on the feasibility and reliability of establishing a national ballistic imaging, sometimes misleadingly referred to as ballistic "fingerprinting," database. The study concludes, "A national database containing images of ballistic markings from all new and imported guns sold in the U.S. should not be created at this time".
The contemplated national ballistic imaging system would require that a fired cartridge casing from every newly manufactured and imported firearm sold at retail in the United States be sent to a federal agency to be imaged and up-loaded into a massive government-run database. In theory this would allow law enforcement to collect ballistics evidence (i.e. fired cartridge cases) at crime scenes and search the database in hopes of finding a match that might then allow law enforcement to identify the specific firearm used in the crime.
Forensic experts at the California Department of Justice raised questions about the feasibility of such a system in a study released in 2002 when the California legislature was considering establishing a statewide system like New York and Maryland. The researchers at the California Department of Justice concluded, "Automated computer matching [ballistic imaging] systems do not provide conclusive results." Heeding that study's conclusions, the California legislature rejected the concept.
The Maryland and New York ballistic imaging programs have been in place for almost a decade but neither has produced a single arrest or prosecution despite several million dollars of taxpayer funding. The Maryland State Police Department has called for their program to be repealed and the funds redirected to other, more effective law enforcement measures.
In their study, the NAS researchers questioned the validity of the science underlying this technology. "The fundamental assumption underlying forensic firearms identification – that every gun leaves microscopic marks on bullets and cartridge cases that are unique to that weapon and remain the same over repeated firings – has not yet been fully demonstrated scientifically. More research would be needed to prove that firearms identification rests on firmer scientific footing."
"A great deal of misinformation about ballistics imaging has circulated in the media including referring to the technology as ‘ballistic fingerprinting' or ‘ballistics DNA' which is completely misleading and widely overstates the technology's capability," said NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane. "As the NAS study proves, this is simply not true."
Keane noted that following the California Department of Justice study, "the firearms industry called for and fully supported a national study of the feasibility of a national ballistics imaging database. Industry members cooperated with the NAS researchers by providing factory tours and answering their technical questions."
In the study released today researchers noted, "A number of problems would hinder the usefulness and accuracy of a national database. Ballistic images from millions of guns could be entered each year, and many of the images would depict toolmarks that are very similar in their gross characteristics. Research suggests that current technology for collecting and comparing images may not reliably distinguish very fine differences in large volumes of similar images, the report says. Searches would likely turn up too many possible ‘matches' to be useful. Also, the type of ammunition actually used in a crime could differ from the type used when the gun was originally test-fired – a difference that could lead to significant error in suggesting possible matches."
"The conclusions of the NAS researchers validate our industry's long-standing concerns about the feasibility of a national database," added Keane. "Our industry has always supported the use of ballistics imaging by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) as a potential law enforcement tool because that database is limited to ballistics evidence from crime scenes. The fact that the ATF system, called the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN), is not cluttered with millions upon millions of images from firearms lawfully possessed and used makes the program more efficient in identifying potential matches."
Firearms Microstamping Should Be Studied
Today's study also examined a newly developed technology called "firearms microstamping." Microstamping is a patented sole source process that laser engraves the firearm's make, model and serial number on the tip of the gun's firing pin so that, in theory, it imprints the information on discharged cartridge cases.
A recent peer-reviewed study published in the professional scholarly journal for forensic firearms examiners proved that the technology of microstamping is unreliable and does not function as the patent holder claims. It can be easily defeated in mere seconds using common household tools or criminals could simply switch the engraved firing pin for readily available unmarked spare parts, thereby circumventing the technology.
Experts at the University of California at Davis, recently finished a study of the technology. The U.C. Davis researchers found the technology "flawed" and concluded that "At the current time it is not recommended that a mandate for implementation of this technology in all semi-automatic handguns in the state of California be made. Further testing, analysis and evaluation is required."
Similarly, the NAS report noted that "further studies are needed on the durability of microstamping marks under various firing conditions and their susceptibility to tampering, as well as on the their cost impact for manufacturers and consumers."
"The firearms industry opposes microstamping legislation that would mandate this questionable technology and, as we did with ballistics imaging, we support the call for further study of the technology," said Keane.
Last year California enacted legislation to require that all new models of semi-automatic pistols sold in the state be microstamped beginning January, 2010. "Microstamping will add approximately $200 to the price of each firearm," noted Keane. "Manufacturers informed California Governor Schwarzenegger they would be forced to abandon the California marketplace because the cost of incorporating the flawed and easily defeated technology was too high."
For more information on the facts concerning ballistic imaging, please visit: http://nssf.org/media/FactSheets/Ballistic_Imaging.cfm
For more information on the facts concerning firearms microstamping, please visit: http://nssf.org/media/FactSheets/Microstamping.cfm
Date: March 5, 2008
Contacts: Sara Frueh, Media Relations Officer
Luwam Yeibio, Media Relations Assistant
Office of News and Public Information
202-334-2138; e-mail

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

REPORT ADVISES AGAINST NEW NATIONAL DATABASE OF BALLISTIC IMAGES

WASHINGTON — A national database containing images of ballistic markings from all new and imported guns sold in the U.S. should not be created at this time,
says a new report from the National Research Council. Such a database has been proposed to help investigators link ballistics evidence -- cartridge cases or bullets found at crime scenes -- to a firearm and the location where it was originally sold. But given the practical limitations of current technology for generating and comparing images of ballistic markings, searches of such an extensive database would likely produce too many candidate "matches" to be helpful, the report says.

The report notes that the fundamental assumption underlying forensic firearms identification – that every gun leaves microscopic marks on bullets and cartridge cases that are unique to that weapon and remain the same over repeated firings – has not yet been fully demonstrated scientifically. More research would be needed to prove that firearms identification rests on firmer scientific footing, said the committee that wrote the report.

Nevertheless, current ballistic imaging technology can be useful in generating leads for law enforcement investigation, said the committee. Its report recommends ways to improve the usefulness of an existing ballistic image database – limited to ballistics evidence associated with crimes – that is administered by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and used by more than 200 state and local law enforcement agencies. It also recommends further research on "microstamping," a technique that imprints unique marks on guns or ammunition. This promising method could be an alternate way to attain the same basic goal as the proposed database.

National Database Would Be of Limited Usefulness

"Toolmarks" are created on cartridge cases and bullets when a gun is fired -- for example, when a bullet scrapes against grooves on the inside of the gun barrel, or when high gas pressure forces the walls of a cartridge case against the gun's firing chamber. These toolmarks have long been used to help solve crimes -- for example, a firearms examiner might compare a crime-scene bullet to one test-fired from a suspect's gun to determine whether the marks match. Since the 1980s, computerized imaging has allowed law enforcement agencies to input toolmark images in databases of crime-related ballistic evidence and search for images of bullets or cases with similar marks.

The National Institute of Justice of the U.S. Department of Justice asked the National Research Council to assess the feasibility of a national database that would contain images of toolmarks from all new and imported guns; about 4.5 million new guns are sold in the U.S. each year, including about 2 million handguns. With such a system, when a gun is sold, images of cartridge cases from a firing of that gun would be entered into the database, possibly with information on its original purchaser. Investigators around the country who collect ballistic evidence at crime scenes could search the database for possible matches. Maryland and New York already operate such databases for guns sold or manufactured in those states.

A number of problems would hinder the usefulness and accuracy of a national database, the report says. Ballistic images from millions of guns could be entered each year, and many of the images would depict toolmarks that are very similar in their gross characteristics. Research suggests that current technology for collecting and comparing images may not reliably distinguish very fine differences in large volumes of similar images, the report says. Searches would likely turn up too many possible "matches" to be useful. Also, the type of ammunition actually used in a crime could differ from the type used when the gun was originally test-fired – a difference that could lead to significant error in suggesting possible matches.

The report does recommend 15 improvements to the ATF's National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN), an existing database that contains ballistic images from crime scenes and suspects' weapons. Seven recommendations focus on improving the operation of the NIBIN program; for example, the program should consider protocols for entering multiple images from the same gun – ideally involving multiple ammunition types – rather than relying on a single "best" case. The report also recommends eight ways to improve the database's technical platform -- for instance, by simplifying routines for conducting searches across multiple regions of the country. The committee examined the possibility of using three-dimensional surface measurement techniques rather than two-dimensional photographic images, but suggests the need for further research and testing before such a change is made.

Claims of Certainty About 'Matches' Without Firm Grounding

The report does not assess the admissibility of firearm toolmark evidence in legal proceedings, since making such a determination was not part of the committee's charge. However, it cautions that the statement commonly made by firearms examiners that "matches" of ballistic evidence identify a particular source gun "to the exclusion of all other firearms" should be avoided. There is currently no statistical justification for such a statement, and it is inconsistent with the element of subjectivity inherent in any firearms examiner's assessment of a match.

If firearms identification is to rest on firmer scientific ground, more research would need to assess the fundamental assumption that toolmarks are unique and remain recognizable over time, despite repeated firings. Such research should include a program of experiments covering a full range of factors that may degrade a gun's toolmarks, as well as factors that might cause different guns to generate similar toolmarks. Intensive work is also needed on the underlying physics, engineering, and metallurgy of firearms, in order to better understand the mechanisms that form toolmarks as a weapon is fired.

Microstamping Should Be Studied

The report also recommends more research on a promising alternative approach to providing links between crime-scene evidence and the original weapon. "Microstamping" etches or engraves unique markings -- such as an alphanumeric code -- on gun parts, which in turn generate unique marks on spent cartridge cases; microstamped marks could also be applied to individual pieces of ammunition. These marks could be rapidly examined at crime scenes using equipment as simple as a magnifying glass. However, more in-depth studies are needed on the durability of microstamped marks under various firing conditions and their susceptibility to tampering, as well as on their cost impact for manufacturers and consumers. California recently passed a law to require microstamping on internal parts of new semiautomatic pistols sold in the state by 2010.

The study was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice's National Institute of Justice. The National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council make up the National Academies. They are private, nonprofit institutions that provide science, technology, and health policy advice under a congressional charter. The Research Council is the principal operating agency of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. A committee roster follows.

Copies of Ballistic Imaging are available from the National Academies Press; tel. 202-334-3313 or 1-800-624-6242 or on the Internet at http://www.nap.edu. Reporters may obtain a copy from the Office of News and Public Information (contacts listed above).


NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL

Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education
Committee on Law and Justice and Committee on National Statistics
and
Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences
National Materials Advisory Board

COMMITTEE ON ASSESSING THE FEASIBILITY, ACCURACY, AND TECHNICAL CAPABILITY
OF A NATIONAL BALLISTICS DATABASE

JOHN E. ROLPH (CHAIR)
Professor of Statistics
Marshall School of Business
University of Southern California
Los Angeles

EUGENE S. MEIERAN 1 (VICE CHAIR)
Senior Fellow and Director of Manufacturing
Strategic Support
Intel Corp.
Chandler, Ariz.

ALFRED BLUMSTEIN 1
J. Erik Jonsson Professor of Urban Systems and Operations Research
H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh

ALICIA CARRIQUIRY
Professor
Department of Statistics
Iowa State University
Ames

SCOTT CHUMBLEY
Professor
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Iowa State University
Ames

PHILIP J. COOK 2
ITT/Terry Sanford Distinguished Professor of Economics and Sociology
Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy
Duke University
Durham, N.C.

MARC DE GRAEF
Professor
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh

DAVID L. DONOHO 3
Professor of Statistics, and
Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor of Humanities and Science
Stanford University
Stanford, Calif.

WILLIAM F. EDDY
John C. Warner Professor of Statistics
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh

GEORGE T. GRAY III
Fellow
Materials Science Division
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos, N.M.

ERIC GRIMSON
Bernard Gordon Professor of Medical Engineering and Head
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge

DANIEL P. HUTTENLOCHER
John P. and Rilla Neafsay Professor of Computing, Information Science, and Business
Department of Computer Science, and
Stephen H. Weiss Fellow
Cornell University
Ithaca, N.Y.

MICHAEL M. MEYER
Google Inc.
Seattle

VIJAY NAIR
Donald A. Darling Professor and Chair
Department of Statistics, and
Professor of Industrial and Operations Engineering
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor

ANGELO M. NINIVAGGI JR.
Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary
Plexus Corp.
Neenah, Wis.

DAVID W. PISENTI
Law Enforcement Consultant
Fredericksburg, Va.

DARYL PREGIBON
Research Scientist
Google Inc.
New York City

HERMAN M. REININGA
Senior Vice President of Operations
Rockwell Collins (retired)
Cedar Rapids, Iowa

JAMES K. STEWART
Senior Fellow
The CNA Corp.
Alexandria, Va.

MICHAEL R. STONEBRAKER 1
Professor of Computer Science
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge

JULIA R. WEERTMAN 1
Walter P. Murphy Professor Emerita of Engineering
Northwestern University
Evanston, Ill.


RESEARCH COUNCIL STAFF

CAROL PETRIE
Study Director
Director, Committee on Law and Justice

DANIEL CORK
Senior Program Officer
Committee on National Statistics

GARY FISCHMAN
Director, National Materials Advisory Board


1 Member, National Academy of Engineering
2 Member, National Academy of Medicine
3 Member, National Academy of Sciences