The AK 47, Essay Example

The National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, or NIBIN, was developed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms in 1999, and is comprised of more than 190 sites and 150 agencies that cooperate in order to compare and image gun evidence. The agencies, which are located on local, state, and Federal levels, pool their efforts to establish connections between weapons and specific crime scenes, and frequently manage to identify a specific weapon that is used in a variety of crimes in several locations.

An example of the work of the NIBIN might occur in an urban area where gang-related shootings present problems for law enforcement officials because often the crimes are drive-by shootings with no witnesses providing information because of the fear of repercussions.  By carefully examining the bullets taken from victims, investigative experts are able to determine whether the bullets came from the same gun, and when a weapon is retrieved, it is possible to connect to that gun to any number of crimes.  In this way, guns can be traced to specific people, frequently leading to the arrests and prosecution of the offenders. (ATF Fact Sheet, 2010.)

The AK 47 is an extremely common and inexpensive weapon of choice as a combat firearm, in part because in many countries, it costs less than the price of food. It is extremely low-tech, lightweight and deadly.  The Desert Eagle, by contrast, is also an extremely popular gun but unlike the AK-47, it is made of high quality steel and designed to comply with military design, is very large, making a tremendous noise when it fires, and is so heavy that often, when it is fired, its sheer force throws the shooter into a backward motion.  Unlike the AK 47, it is not a gun that is meant to be used by an amateur shooter, and acts more like a rifle that a pistol.  The Browning handgun is the most powerful of the three, containing a 13-round magazine, causing it to be considered a semi-automatic weapon.  It is often used as a counterterrorism weapon, and many countries issue it to their military forces during aggressive conflicts. (Shoot-N-Iron Academy, 1998-2009.)

Aside from blood, there are two other bodily fluids for which forensic laboratories can search and identify: semen, the male reproductive material that contains sperm, and vaginal secretions, urine, and saliva. Often, the terms semen and sperm are used interchangeably when they are actually completely different in meaning: there are two tests to identify the presence of semen.  The initial tests demonstrates that semen is present; more detailed information about the stain would be determined by what is called a “confirmatory” test, using a UV light and various lasers and alternative light sources.  A color test, called an acid phosphatase, or ACP, test is a color test that is conducted by using a cotton swab of the semen.  This test is used to identify the enzyme present in male semen.  The second test, confirming the results, examines a smear taken from a dried stain and using dye to color the cells is then examined under a microscope.

A valuable resource to assist victims of sexual assault occurs when a smear of the vagina is taken following such a crime, after which time a lab does an analysis of the semen, and if requested, can provide a DNA-typing of the sample in an effort to identify the perpetrator of the crime.  Saliva can also be tested but does not have the same confirmatory capacity that is needed to provide definitive forensic evidence, as is the case with the urine samples (Gaensslen, 2008.)

Identifying species, groups of people, or individuals can be performed through the use of genetic markers, which are most frequently DNA samples that originate with the removal of chemicals or proteins to identify biochemical markers; DNA can also be used to identify molecular markers. A more specific picture of genetic markers involves blood groups, isoenzymes, and other substances used to help establish partial individuality before DNA-typing was available, according to Gaensslen (2008.) Five separate and distinct categories of genetic markers have been identified: human leukocyte, plasma proteins, blood groups, isoenzymes, and hemoglobin variants.  Initially, genetic markers were only utilized in order to take biological evidence and make it specific to an individual, but the discovery of the uses and the uniqueness of DNA made that purpose obsolete, for the most part.

References

ATF Fact Sheet. (n.d.). Retrieved February 1, 2011, from Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives: http://www.atf.gov/publications/factsheets/factsheet-nibin.html

Gaensslen, R. H. (2008). Introduction to Forensic Science and Criminalistics. New York: Mcgraw-Hill.

Kahaner, L. (2006, November 26). Weapons of Mass Destruction. Retrieved February 3, 2011, from The Washington Post: http://www.shoot-n-iron.com/self-defense-handgun-firearms-articles.asp

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. (2010). ATF Fact Sheet. Retrieved on February 1, 2011 from  (ATF Fact Sheet)

The Washington Post, Weapon of Mass Destruction, Larry Kahaner, on November 26, 2006

(Kahaner, 2006) (Gaensslen, 2008)Shoot-N-Iron Academy, Self Defense, Handgun and Firearms Articles, Aim Higher!  Consulting, 1998-2009

Gaensslen, R., & Harris, H., & Lee, H. (2008). Introduction to Forensic Science and Criminalistics. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.