A synopsis of urban firearm ballistics: Washington, DC model

Although current statistics are available pertaining to weapon retrieval rates, the evolution of ballistics in most metropolitan areas has not been critically examined and correlated with the resultant impact on public health. Of special concern to law enforcement agencies and urban Level 1 trauma centers is the unabated increase in the availability of firearms with accelerated firepower capable of increased kinetic energy and reduced time to exhaust the weapon's magazine. The firearms statistics from the Washington, DC area were examined retrospectively by review of the records of the Firearms and Toolmark Examination section of the Metropolitan Police Department. The data from 1999 indicate that 57% of the firearms confiscated during criminal apprehension and prosecution were semiautomatic weapons. However, 51% of the firearms recovered during amnesty programs were revolvers and 23% were semiautomatic weapons. In the District of Columbia, during a 4.5-month period in 1999, the cost of medical treatment of patients with gunshot wound injuries averaged 15,000.00 US dollars per patient with costs of rehabilitation reaching an estimated 40,000.00 US dollars per patient.