AFTE Conclusion Scale
Definition
Association of Firearm and Tool Mark Examiners scale: identification, inconclusive (subdivided A, B, C), elimination, unsuitable. The court-admissible vocabulary.
- Body
- Association of Firearm and Tool Mark Examiners
- Categories
- Identification, inconclusive, elimination, unsuitable
- Inconclusive subdivisions
- A, B, C
- Use
- Court-admissible reporting vocabulary
Common questions
What distinguishes the three inconclusive subcategories?+
They grade why a definite call could not be reached: A means some individual-characteristic agreement was seen but not enough to identify, B means class characteristics agree but individual marks neither agree nor disagree, and C means even class characteristics could not be fully compared due to poor mark quality or reproducibility.
Why does firearms testimony rely on this fixed vocabulary rather than a numeric probability?+
The scale reflects examiner judgment against defined categories rather than a statistically validated probability, and courts have scrutinised firearms testimony for overstating certainty, so examiners are trained to report findings strictly within these terms.
Related terms
- Breech Face
- The forward surface of the bolt, slide, or breech block that seals the chamber and contacts the cartridge case head during firing....
- Class Characteristics
- Features deliberately or systematically imparted to a group of items by design or manufacture, such as the calibre of a bullet, the...
- Comparison Microscope
- Two compound microscope bodies connected by an optical bridge that presents one half of each body's image in a single split eyepiece...
- IBIS / NIBIN
- Integrated Ballistic Identification System (Forensic Technology Inc., Canada) and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)'s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network....
- Individual Characteristics
- Surface features on a fired bullet or cartridge case that arise from random or unique events (tool wear, corrosion, service damage) and...
- Rifling
- The helical groove pattern cut into a firearm barrel that imparts spin to the bullet, stabilising it in flight. Rifling lands and...
- Subclass Characteristics
- Features common to a small batch of weapons made with the same tool before the tool wore out. Sit between class and...