CHDS State/Local / This thesis examines the interoperability of federal law enforcement's Big Six investigative agencies, to include the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Drug Enforcement Administration, Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, Internal Revenue Service-CID, and the United States Secret Service-Investigations. The main issue is whether, in the post-9/11 environment of transnational and terrorist criminal threats, the current administrative and jurisdictional configuration of the Big Six within three executive epartments with overlapping duties marginalizes the nation's investigative work-product. This discussion includes the establishment of metrics used to gauge the functionality of the Big Six and, thus, to determine whether Negative Characteristics are present that materially affect the "total" mission. Ultimately, the conclusion is drawn that the integration of the Big Six into a single agency, namely the FBI, would better serve the nation's federal investigative law enforcement needs. This leads into the next area of discussion, which is how to integrate the Big Six. Associated with both these topics is an analysis of what the federal investigative mission means and whether it should include a domestic intelligence product. / Special Agent, Department of Homeland Security, ICE

of my Master's degree thesis in English Lawful use of firearms The purpose of my paper is to draw attention to the lawful use of firearms in self- defence. The relation between the lawful use of firearms and self-defence is not explained sufficiently today. For example, it is not clear in what situations police officers have authority to act in self-defence and what their liability would be should they exceed the regulation of lawful use of firearms. The author offers possible solutions to this issue and describes their consequences. The paper is composed of three chapters. Introduction brings the reader into the issue. First chapter serves as an extension to the introductory part and defines basic terminology used in the paper such as defences, necessity, self-defence, dangerous offender, lawful use of firearms. Chapter Two deals with relevant international, constitutional and statutory legislation with a focus on the lawful use of firearms and its regulation. Chapter Three introduces basic knowledge from practice split into rulings and case studies. Author of this Master's degree thesis searched and chose the most relevant rulings with relation to the lawful use of firearms. Case studies include two cases of lawful use of firearms by the Police to which the author had access. Chapter Four looks...

The purpose of this research was to study the attitudes of police officers about handgun carry permit holders. Police officers from local police departments in Tennessee and Virginia were surveyed with a 30-question questionnaire. The questionnaire used the independent variables of sex (gender), age, marital status, and education to study officers’ opinions on the subject of handgun carry permit holders. The survey items asked police officers their attitudes about issues including carry permits in certain situations, training of the permit holder, and federal law. The research found that a majority of officers support handgun carry permit holders and that officers are not threatened by handgun carry permit holders.

The objective of this project is to find which type of coating has the best performance characteristics for finishing firearms. This is accomplished by measuring and comparing several performance characteristics, such as: adhesion, hardness, wear resistance, friction control, and corrosion resistance. Appearance is not a factor since any exterior coating that is flashy can be subdued or camouflaged with special purpose paints, which have proven durable enough for such purposes. Cost will not be a limiting factor for this experiment, but will be discussed in the conclusion as a secondary concern. This data will be used to identify the best coating for steel and aluminum firearm parts. The goal is to lengthen a firearm’s life cycle while increasing performance and reliability by applying the best coating.

Comment quelques grammes de plomb propulsés par quelques grammes de poudre peuvent-ils avoir raison, à distance, du plus robuste des soudards ? Pourquoi le même projectile peut-il tuer l’un et épargner l’autre ? Depuis le XVe siècle, ces questions effraient le combattant, intriguent le chirurgien et agitent la communauté scientifique.Croisant données historiques, comptes rendus médico-légaux et expérimentation scientifique, cette étude tente de répondre à ces interrogations pluriséculaires. Les sources consultées reposent principalement sur les écrits chirurgicaux, mais explorent également les ouvrages traitant d’armes, de munitions et de tactique, partant du principe que tous ces facteurs jouent un rôle dans ce drame parfois définitif qu’est la rencontre tumultueuse entre un projectile et la cible particulière que constitue l’organisme humain. Les réponses apportées sont contrastées et souvent contradictoires : à ceux qui estiment qu’une plaie par projectile d’arme à feu est une plaie comme les autres répondent ceux qui considèrent que le mécanisme qui l’a produit doit être pris en compte dans l’étude de ces effets et dans la décision thérapeutique. Ce travail expose, au travers de ces polémiques, l’extrême diversité des effets vulnérants des armes à feu, aucun traumatisme balistique n’étant strictement superposable à un autre. Ce caractère non reproductible, en dehors de l’expérimentation scientifique, exclut toute conclusion formelle et définitive quant aux effets des projectiles d’armes à feu. Être touché par une balle reste une aventure individuelle aux conséquences imprévisibles. / How can a few grams of lead expelled with a few grams of powder remotely take out the toughest boor? Why can the same projectile kill one and spare the other? Since the 15th century, these questions frighten the fighter, intrigue the surgeon and stir the scientific community.Crossing historic data, medicolegal reports and scientific experiments, this study tries to answer these centuries-long questions. The consulted sources are mostly based on surgical writing but also explore books dealing with weapons, ammunition, tactics, given all these factors interneve in this, something definitive, drama that is the tumultuous encounter between a projectile and the particular target that the human body is. The results are mixed and often contradictory, opposing those who think a projectile-induced wound is a common wound and those who consider the igniting mechanism has to be taken into account to study and treat its effects efficiently. This work shows, apart from these polemics, the great diversity of firearms wounding effects, no ballistic trauma being strictly comparable to another. This non-reproductible specificity, aside from scientific experiments, rules out any formal and definitive answer regarding the effects of firearms projectiles. Being shot with a bullet remains an individual adventure with unpredictable consequences.

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to examine a series of six revolver barrels manufactured by the Colt Patent Arms Manufacturing Company between 1853 and 1863. SEM micrographs revealed a vast range of surface morphologies among the corroded samples. XRD diffraction patterns showed varying levels of magnetite on the blackened samples, but hematite could not be identified. EDS was used to map elemental distribution and quantify elemental abundances on the gun surfaces; further investigation using this technique may reveal more definitive information on whether some elements present were deposited during patination.

One slight mistake or misuse of police firearms could infringe human¡¦s right; thus, when it comes to the controlling of police firearms, legal state will usually adhere to the principles of legal reservation strictly. Police officers need to deal with all sorts of various and strange situation in the society. However, the legal provisions can not regulate and list all kinds of police firearms, which will bring doubts to police officers if it is necessary for them to use firearms and news related to the misuse of firearms has been heard all the time. Since the controlling of police firearms is part of national administration, the purpose of using police firearms and protecting the right of human should be considered with the same aspect and extent under this democratic and legal state. Furthermore, stipulating a comprehensive act for controlling and managing the police firearms should not be limited with the interpretation of the law, but should be established with suitable rules for Taiwan to control and manage police firearms in terms of different aspects and comprehensive considerations. Based on the 5 major frameworks of administration law, including the principles, organization, authority, remedy and supervision, this study aims at examining the legal system of national controlling of police firearms, in terms of legal and practice aspect, to clarify the problems that using police firearms might bring with researching by reference, historical analysis, comparative analysis and induction analysis. Through the study, a ¡§legal system of controlling and managing the national police firearms¡¨ should be set up comprehensively, so that the suggestions of adjusting the deficiency of current law can be made. The current legal system of controlling and managing the national police firearms forms a basic shape; however, by this study, the deficiency of it has been found, such as the unspecific timing of firing, the scarcity of authority for assessing the liability of using firearms, the insufficiency of administrative authority system including administrative investigation,, the deficiency of national remedy and state compensation, vacancy of the mechanism of interior self-supervision and so on, which means that the 5 elements , including the principles, organization, authority, remedy and supervision, are left to be redressed. Fortunately, the problems may be corrected by the suggestions below. A, learn to enhance the firearms regulations from imitating how the on-duty police officers in Japan work. B, the National Police Agency of Ministry of the Interior can establish an authority to assess the liability of using firearms. C, make it a mandatory regulation to start administrative investigation before using firearms. D, state compensation should be complied with the original State Compensation Act. E, facilitate the mechanism of interior self-supervision by imitating the evaluation for universities. The government should examine the related problems of national police firearms as soon as possible, so that the reviewing and redressing can be conducted and the problems can be solved.

Abstract The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of virtual reality training on the development of cognitive memory and handgun accuracy by law enforcement neophytes. One hundred and six academy students from 6 different academy classes were divided into two groups, experimental and control. The experimental group was exposed to virtual reality training for a period of 8 hours. The control group was exposed to the traditional, non-interactive training that occurred on a gun range, also for a period of 8 hours. After exposing the groups to their respective training, a counter-balance technique was utilized to expose both groups to a series of 3 law enforcement related scenarios. The time and number of shots that each participant used to cognitively process and solve the scenarios were collected and analyzed by group and gender. There was a significant difference, by group, in both time and accuracy, with the virtual reality group using less time and posting more accurate scores. Mean accuracy scores indicated that the males participants were more accurate in their response to the scenario administration.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for a Master's Degree in Technology: Business Administration, Durban University of Technology, 2008. / The purpose of this research is to compare the firearm legislation between South Africa and selected countries and to determine if multiple firearm owners and firearm dealers are affected in terms of economics, and changes to their business environment by the new Firearms Act, 60 of 2000.The sub-objectives of this study are as follows: - To compare firearm regulations between countries that were affected by access to firearms and deaths as a result thereof; - To evaluate the economic effect of the legislation on a firearm dealer/dedicated hunter/dedicated sportsman/collector of firearms; - To evaluate the economic effect of the restrictions on the number of firearms an owner may legally possess; - To evaluate the economic impact of the cost involved for re-licensing a firearm; - To establish how the firearm business environment is affected according to the political, economic, social, technological and ecological influences on business strategies. The research does not include firearm owners with hand weapons or individuals with fewer than four firearms. It also excludes South African Police Service and South African Defence Force weapons, as these are not usually provided to the public. The aim of this research is to establish if there is an effect on the dealers and hunters in the firearm industry in South Africa with the advent of the Firearms Control Act 60 of 2000. The world trend changed firearm legislation world-wide and South Africa followed. In the following chapter the global and South African issue is discussed with some of the arguments on why the firearm legislation had to change.

In the late 1300s and early 1400s, when firearms made their arrival in the lands of Islam, the various dynasties exhibited differing responses. While the Ottoman sultanate wasted no time in incorporating firearms into their formidable military machine, both the Mamluks of Egypt and the Safavids of Persia were far more reluctant in adopting the new weapons. David Avalon, investigating the question of Mamluk reluctance, identified the rigid sense of pride in the traditional forms of warfare to be found in the ruling class; however, the same attention has not yet been paid to the Safavids. A paucity of relevant references in the accounts of European travellers combined with a tendency in the Safavid sources to apply identical terms to both gunpowder and non-gunpowder weapons made the relative abundance of firearms difficult to quantify. In all, the same stubborn attitude found in the Mamluks was also found in the Safavid elite, but in the case of Persia, this cannot be considered the sole answer. Instead, the historical background and military situation also played an important role.