The Scope and Implications of a Tracing Mechanism for Small Arms ...

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different manufacturers is staggering, and is in fact one of the major
problems—especially given that they are not necessarily “consumed” in the
context of military, sporting or hunting activities, and that certain people
may also stockpile them. The fact that ammunition has no identifying
marker to speak of signifies that it is impossible to identify any of it (which
effectively means that obliterating any marks visible on the cap of the case
serves no purpose). This is why it is necessary to develop measures that
permit the identification of initially 1) the ammunition, and 2) the route it
has followed and the transactions in which it has been involved from its date
of manufacture. Today, the lack of standards for marking and tracing
ammunition makes checking this information impossible. When one
considers that 389,877 cartridges were found in three separate warehouses
in Africa, 10 how can we even imagine being able to trace their journey? For
the moment, the only thing experts can do is to concentrate on the marks
on case caps and on registers of sale. Even then, results are not guaranteed.
We should not neglect to mention that there is ammunition bereft of
any marking whatsoever; it is used in science laboratories to study the
different traces left by a weapon. The absence of any mark on these
cartridges means that they cannot be traced either, and experts find
themselves facing a wall.
Let us examine the different options available in order to try and
remedy this situation. Technically speaking, five elements constitute a
cartridge: the projectile, the case, the powder, the primer cup and the
primer. If we are to trace the ammunition, we must be able to use these five
elements to mark it.
Initially, it is essential to determine and formalize the information that
should appear on a cartridge. Studying the marks on a cartridge should
supply us with a series of information about the manufacturer, the date and
place of manufacture, the calibre and the composition of the primer. It may
be relevant for a criminal police investigation to obtain precise information
as to when the ammunition was manufactured, which constitutes the first
step towards a trace in the strict sense of the word. Although the dates
inscribed on case caps can provide a general indication, this type of
information will nevertheless have to be obtained from the manufacturer. 11