The Firearms Department examines firearms to test their operability and also their compliance with various statutory regulations (ex. capability for full auto fire, barrel length, and/or overall length). The Department also examines and microscopically compares fired ammunition components (projectiles, cartridge cases, shotshells, etc.) recovered from a crime scene to test specimens fired from a firearm recovered from a suspect to determine if the firearm was used in the shooting. Similarly, fired ammunition components recovered from one crime scene can be microscopically compared with fired ammunition components from other crime scenes to determine if a single firearm was responsible for both shootings. The Department also performs serial number restoration and other discipline-related examinations.
The Firearms (& Tool Marks) Department examines tools and microscopically compares tool marks from a crime scene to test specimens produced by a recovered tool to see if the tool was used in the crime. The tool must be able to be linked to a suspect through possession, latent prints, or DNA. If the tool cannot be linked to a suspect through one of these methods, the evidence will not be accepted.
The Firearms Department operates the Integrated Ballistics Identification System (IBIS) database. NOTE: All firearms and fired cartridge cases that are examined by the Firearms Department are automatically screened for IBIS entry. See the IBIS section for further information.
The Firearms Department is responsible for the destruction of firearms, knives, metal tools, etc. for various agencies in South Carolina.
Integrated Ballistics Identification System (IBIS)
IBIS Overview and Traditional Evidence Submission
The Integrated Ballistics Identification System (IBIS) which operates on the National Integrated Ballistic Identification Network (NIBIN) is owned and provided to various state and local agencies by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF). The IBIS system is located in the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division’s (SLED) Forensic Services Building in the Firearms Department and is operated in conjunction with BATF protocols.
The IBIS enables an operator to acquire digital images of individually marked areas on fired cartridge cases. These images are converted into digital “signatures” and are compared, through an automated process, with other stored images to search for possible links between cases not previously realized by law enforcement to be related. For every specimen entered, a list will be prepared by the computer for an examiner to review. IBIS personnel will review the images and determine if there are any NIBIN Leads. The Agency will be notified of any potential leads for INVESTIGATIVE PURPOSES ONLY. If confirmation of a NIBIN Lead is requested, the Agency must submit the evidence for a FULL FIREARM EXAM. If the NIBIN Lead is confirmed, it is then considered a verified “HIT”.
IBIS Entry by Appointment
The IBIS Entry by Appointment Program is a highly efficient, streamlined, and simplified version of the traditional IBIS program. This program was designed as a way to increase the efficiency and throughput of the IBIS and allow for our customers to have test fires from seized firearms and/or evidence cartridge cases from crime scenes entered into IBIS faster than going through the normal evidence submission process. It has been shown that the greater the time between the date of the crime and the date an investigating officer is provided a new lead, the less useful the lead becomes. This is one of the motivating factors in developing the “IBIS Entry by Appointment” program. IBIS entry will be performed the same day it is brought to SLED with correlations typically reviewed the next business day. If a potential match is found, your Agency will be notified immediately of the potential link to another case dramatically reducing the time between the crime and when the investigator receives a new lead.
Customer Notices and Forms
2024-04 Customer Notice – Trigger Pull Weight Examination
2023-02 Forensic Services – IBIS Only Evidence Submissions
Firearms Analysis of Submissions Containing Only Fired Cartridge Cases
IBIS Entry by Appointment Program