Does the Prior Application of the Field Kit Bullet Hole Testing Kit 3 on a Suspected Bullet Hole Bias the Analysis of Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry?

Forensic ballistics is the study of bullet trajectory and consists of determining gunshot residue ( GSR ) to identify bullet holes. Among several highly sensitive methods, atomic absorption spectrophotometry ( AAS ) is employed to analyze GSR in the laboratory. However, it is sometimes necessary to identify bullet holes immediately at a crime scene. The purpose of this examination was to determine whether the use of the field test Bullet Hole Testing Kit 3 ( BTK 3) on a suspected bullet hole would influence the outcome of AAS ‐analysis: Three commonly encountered firearms ( G lock17, T okarev, and C olt) were fired at skin, wood, and cloth. AAS ‐analysis was performed with and without previous BTK 3 application. The results clearly indicate that there is no significant interaction on the grounds of BTK 3 use ( BTK 3 vs . no‐ BTK 3 [kit_nokit] [ P b: p  = 0.1309; S b: p  = 0.9111], material*kit_nokit [ P b: p  = 0.5960; S b: p  = 0.9930], distance*kit_nokit [ P b: p  = 0.4014; S b: p  = 0.9184], and firearm type*kit_nokit [ P b: p  = 0.9662; S b: p  = 0.9885]); hence, applying this field kit does not falsify later AAS outcomes.