Forensic ballistics, a branch of forensic science, involves the study and analysis of firearms, bullets, and the effects of their discharge in criminal investigations. As cases involving firearms grow in complexity, forensic ballistics has evolved to provide vital clues that aid law enforcement in connecting the dots between the weapon, crime scene, and suspects. With recent cases like the attempted attack on Donald Trump, forensic ballistics has come under the spotlight yet again. This scientific discipline, which deals with analysing firearms, bullets, and gunshot residues (GSR), provides invaluable insights into solving complex cases.
Forensic ballistics emerged as a specialised field in the early 20th century, with its roots going back to the time when firearms were first invented. However, it gained prominence after the invention of rifling—spiral grooves inside a gun barrel that give bullets a unique spin and leave identifiable marks. One of the earliest and most famous cases involving forensic ballistics was the trial of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti (1925), where ballistic evidence played a critical role in their conviction.
Since the establishment of the nation's first ballistic laboratory in the 1920s, the field has undergone substantial technological advancements like the Integrated Ballistic Information System (IBIS). IBIS is a highly technical, computerised image analysis system that records striated images from bullets and cartridge cases and compares them to a national, and growing international, database of images. Ballistic signature identification is another important criminal investigation technique for detecting gun cases. Just as everyone has a unique fingerprint, there are unique striations marks on a bullet when it passes through the gun barrel.
The use of country-made gun analysis poses a huge challenge in crime investigation. The creation of fresh methods and resources like 3D printing technology to make replicas of weapons and ammo for analysis of ballistic evidence has been the main focus of recent scientific studies in ballistics.
Prominent forensic laboratories worldwide that specialise in ballistics include the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), Chandigarh, India; the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Ballistics Lab, USA; and Scotland Yard’s Ballistics Division, UK.
In India, a prominent incident where ballistics technology played a major role was the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. Ballistics specialists studied the bullets and cartridges discovered at the crime scenes following the horrifying assault to determine the kinds of weapons that the terrorists used. Another notable case includes the Jessica Lal murder case, where ballistics evidence was used prominently.
Internationally, the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy in 1963 is perhaps the most famous case involving forensic ballistics. Similarly, the assassination attempt on former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022 highlighted the importance of forensic ballistics in tracking down the weapon used in the attack.
The Supreme Court has acknowledged the value of ballistics technology in the investigation of gun-related crimes. The Supreme Court ruled in the State of Maharashtra v. Raju Rajendra Singh (2018) that ballistic evidence is an essential component in determining an accused person's guilt. The court noted that ballistic evidence could be utilised to determine the type of firearm used in the crime and to establish a connection between the accused and the crime site.
An eminent forensic ballistics expert in India is Mr. B.C. Ravindra is a retired crime-scene investigator and forensic expert from Karnataka. Mr. Ravindra is known for his expertise in ballistics and his work on the Kalburgi murder case (2015).
As technology advances, the role of forensic ballistics in law enforcement will only grow more critical in combating gun-related crimes globally. Every gun has a story to tell in crime investigation.
(Dr. Kumar is a retired IPS and forensic advisor to the Government of Assam. Bora is student of forensic at NFSU, Guwahati. Views personal.)
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