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Gunshot Residue

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Subject
Criminal Justice
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California Coast University
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Gunshot Residue
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What is gunshot residue (GSR)? Describe the sampling process of GSR and how such samples are
analyzed.
Introduction
Gunshot residue splashes to a person either on his hands or clothes when he discharges a
firearm. The residue is principally made up of burnt and unburnt particles from the explosive
primer, the fuel, and possibly fragments of the bullet, cartridge case, and the firearm. The
investigators usually rely on the clothing and skin of suspected individuals to test for gunshot
residue to establish if they were near a gun when it was discharged (Girard, 2017). The distance
under which gunshot residue can travel ranges between three to five feet from the gun. The
concentration of the gunshot residue depends on the range that the residue has traveled, with the
shortest distance having more trace particles.
The sampling process starts by treating the swabs with four drops each of the dilute nitric
acid by the forensic examiner. The examiner then rubs swabs on the skin at various locations on
the body of the individual being tested where the gunshot remains on the skin will be diluted in
the nitric acid on the swab (Girard, 2017). The forensic examiner rubs the skin parts of the back
of the right hand with one set of swabs and places the two swabs in a labeled vial. The examiner
then rubs the right palm with another set of swabs and places them in a labeled vial before Appling
the same process on the left hand. The other swab with the four drops of nitric acid should not
contact any surface, and it’s placed in a container labeled control. The kit containing the swabs is
sent to the crime lab, where the examiners treat each swab with a dilute nitric solution to remove
the dissolved gunshot residue (Girard, 2017). The obtained dilute nitric acid solution is then added
to water to simplify scanning electron microscopy analysis of gunshot residue.

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1 Gunshot Residue Name Institution Course Professor Date 2 What is gunshot residue (GSR)? Describe the sampling process of GSR and how such samples are analyzed. Introduction Gunshot residue splashes to a person either on his hands or clothes when he discharges a firearm. The residue is principally made up of burnt and unburnt particles from the explosive primer, the fuel, and possibly fragments of the bullet, cartridge case, and the firearm. The investigators usually rely on the clothing and skin of suspected individuals to test for gunshot residue to establish if they were near a gun when it was discharged (Girard, 2017). The distance under which gunshot residue can travel ranges between three to five feet from the gun. The concentration of the gunshot residue depends on the range that the residue has traveled, with the shortest distance having more trace particles. The sampling process starts by treating the swabs with four drops each of the dilute nitric acid by the forensic examiner. The examiner then rubs swabs on the skin at various locations on the body of the individual being tested where the gunshot remains on the skin will be diluted in the nitric acid on the swab (G ...
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