Is it Possible to Accurately Identify a Shooter's Face as Illuminated by the Muzzle Flash of a 22 LR Pistol?
Michael Courtney

TL;DR
This study investigates whether muzzle flashes from a 22 LR pistol can be used to visually identify a shooter's face, finding that observers cannot reliably do so due to insufficient illumination and lack of visible cues.
Contribution
The paper provides experimental evidence that muzzle flashes from a 22 LR pistol do not produce enough visible light to identify a shooter's face in dark conditions.
Findings
Observers failed to identify shooters above chance levels.
No visible illumination from muzzle flash was detected by observers.
Visual cues like silhouette and arm position aided identification when possible.
Abstract
The science of firearms muzzle flash has been dominated by three perspectives: 1) Does the muzzle flash reveal friendly positions to naked eye observers so as to draw fire from enemy combatants? 2) Can flash signatures be recognized by electronic surveillance with sufficient accuracy to identify source firearms? 3) Is the muzzle flash so bright as to diminish the night vision of friendly forces during a firefight? This paper addresses a fourth question: Does the muzzle flash of a specific cartridge provide sufficient duration and intensity of illumination with visible light to allow observers to positively identify a shooter's face? The experiment used two shooters firing a total of 20 shots from a 22 LR semi-automatic pistol. Shooters fired in randomized order, while eight observers (male US military veterans) attempted to identify the shooter for each trial shot. The firing range was…
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Taxonomy
TopicsOcular and Laser Science Research · Occupational Health and Performance
