How can that be? Because although I know very little about guns I did look that up and apparently GSR should by default come out of the barrel of the weapon if it is a rifle.
see here: http://www.firearmsid.com/a_distancegsr.htm
Now it would be interesting to know if there was any GSR at all from that weapon. I Ralph had none at all on him or his cloathing and there should be according to the link. Then surely that points to the fact of very little GSR from that weapon at all?
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3448300274.html
http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/law-enforcement-bulletin/may_2011/The%20Current%20Status%20of%20GSR%20Examinations
So you can see from these links that the primary source of GSR is from the barrel of the gun and not from the ejection mechanism at the side.
As I already explained to you that site is using imprecise terminology when it calls "unburned gunpower" gunshot residue. It is calling everything expelled anywhere out of the gunshot residues. Technically speaking there is gunshot residue and gunpowder residues. He is describing gunpower residues.
The residue it is describing and picturing on the clothing which it referenced as unburned particulate is unburned gunpowder.
What it is describing with the following passages is unburned gunpower not PGSR (Primer gunshot residue) PGSR is usually shortened to GSR but refer to the same thing.
"The further gunshot residues travel from the muzzle, the broader and less concentrated the pattern becomes. Because the various elements included in gunshot residues are very small and lack mass they lose their energy rapidly.
Gunshot residues emitted from the muzzle will travel out to distances of approximately 3 and 5 feet in most firearms but in some cases can travel even greater distances. At the 3-5 foot range the gunshot residues may only consist of a few trace particles and make determining the firing distance difficult if not impossible.
As the firearm gets closer to its target the residue concentrations increase and the actual size or diameter to the pattern gets smaller. At around 18-24 inches most firearms will start to deposit considerable concentrations of gunshot residues that may or may not be visible to the eye."
The site actually describes in detail at one point what it is referring to:
"Gunpowder residue can contain unburned gunpowder particles, partially burned gunpowder particles or the carbonaceous soot from completely burned gunpowder. The image below show a bullet hole surrounded by gunpowder particulate residue."
So it is referencing unburned/partially burned particulate shooting out of the barrel not PGSR.
In common parlance GSR is used to mean PGSR whereas unburned gunpower or unburned particulate is normally used instead of the more technical gunpowder residue. So if you want to be technical you have gunpowder residue and primer gunshot residue. Since PGSR is normally shortened to GSR it is frowned upon to refer to gunpower residue as gunshot residue as well.
Here is another site that does a similar thing of claling them both gunshot residue however it is acceptable because the site is precise and calls one primer gunshot residue the other powder gunshot residue better known as gunpowder residue.
"In a shooting case there are two types of gunshot residue that occur during the discharge of a firearm. The circumstances and the evidence will dictate if either or both types should be tested.
Primer gunshot residue (pGSR) is comprised of fused particles of the elements lead, barium and antimony. The identification of pGSR can only associate a subject with a firearm. Analysis for pGSR is typically conducted by scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM/EDS)
Powder gunshot residue is pattern evidence that originates from the muzzle of a firearm and is deposited on the target. This residue pattern can be comprised of un-burnt and partially burnt gun powder, particulate metals and nitrites. Pattern comparison and chemical testing can assist in determining muzzle to target distance. Evidence typically includes clothing and photographs of gunshot wounds."
http://www.focossforensics.com/html/gunshot_residue.htmlSo "powder gunshot residue" is deposited on the victims. It can be deposited in the wounds or outside the wounds. This is what is called stippling or powder tattooning. This is associated with being shot by a gun.
In contrast PGSR is associated with firing a gun or touching a gun that has PGSR on it and the PGSR transferring from the weapon to the person handling it. Much higher levels of PGSR are on a shooter than someone just touching a weapon after it has been fired. In addition, standing directly next to a weapon as it is being fired by someone else will result in PGSR being deposited on someone. SInce a handgun is so short if the gun is fired extremely close to the victim some PGSR can get on the victim too but it doesn't come from the barrel. PGSR forms a cloud of icroscopic particles. That cloud will touch the shooter, people to the sides of the shooter or extremly close to the front of the shooter.
A rifle is too long for PGSR to get on victims unless they are shooting themselves. The PGSR will be deposited near the back of the gun though not near the muzzle. So the proper location to test Sheila for PGSR to see whether she shot herself was the middle and lower regions of her gown. The only blood in those areas was the small amount from her hand so it can't be argued her dress was too stained for the PGSR to be detected. It also would have gotten on her hands though which quite obviously she can't have washed after killing herself.
They used a scan electron microscope to test her clothing for PGSR but found not even a single particle. There was a visual test using a scan electron microcsope available and then a chemical test. PGSR is microscopic so you can't detect it with the naked eye you must use chemicals it reacts with to a miscroscope or the like. The cheminals react with other things so give false positives in adiditon to sometimes doing damage. Once the scan electron microscope method was available it became the preferred mothod. The records show they used the visual test on her clothing, Nevill's clothing and the swabs of her hands and Nevill's hands.
SInce the other 3 victims were for sure shot in bed (even though June managed to stand up for a few seconds before collapsing) that means there is no way they did any shooting so they were not tested for PGSR. Some unscrupulous people take advantage of this and suggest June loaded the gun and did most of the shooting or all of the shooting.
