AFTE Store - The Response of the Association of Firearm and Tool Mark Examiners[1] to the February 2009 National Academy of Science Report Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward.[2] June 22, 2009

The National Academy of Science Report, Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward made 13 general recommendations regarding Forensic Science. Six of these recommendations directly relate to AFTE. Activities conducted by AFTE and SWGGUN already meet certain conditions of these six recommendations and are fully described in this response. The NAS report briefly critiqued firearm and toolmark identification directly; however, as stated on page S-5 of the report, a detailed evaluation by the NAS was not feasible. The critiques are addressed in this response even though it is evident that the NAS did not look critically at the scientific underpinning of firearm and toolmark identification despite having been provided with hundreds of relevant references.