AFTE Store - NanoTag Markings From Another Perspective

The science of Forensic Firearm and Toolmark Examination relies on the use of highly trained and skilled individuals to identify & compare accidental markings left on expended ammunition components. To circumvent the need for these individuals, it has long been suggested to rely on manufacturer-generated unique characteristics that would be transferred onto the expended components. By doing this, the examination of an expended ammunition component could lead one back to the original purchaser of the firearm, without the need to recover the actual firearm. This would offer law enforcement a tool that current instrumental tools, designed to examine accidental markings, seem unable to deliver. Current changes in technology have now made it possible for manufacturer-generated unique identifiers to be placed on firearm components. The sole source vendor of this technology, NanoTag, promises a method that is indelible, individual, 100% reliable, and cost effective. The question that must be asked is: Is an age-old problem about to be resolved with a new solution, or will all the challenges that have required the extensive training and experience of examiners, still prove an obstacle to success?