Forensic Firearms and Ballistics Analysis

Catalog description

This course provides an in-depth experiential learning opportunity for students in forensic firearms and ballistics analysis. Through participation in discussions, hands-on activities provided by firearms experts, and laboratory experiments using analytical instruments, students learn the role of firearms examiners in a crime lab setting and the basics of cartridges, bullets, ballistics, and sighting systems. Students also learn how to provide expert testimony and use collected evidence to determine elemental composition of gunshot residue, shooting distance determination, and cartridge/weapon comparison, thus connecting the entire process of firearms evidence collection, analysis, and data interpretation.