Skip to main content
MISSOURI STATE HIGHWAY PATROL
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Firearms and Toolmarks

Examination of firearms, ammunition, toolmarks, and footwear and tire impressions.

Relocation notice

The Crime Laboratory is moving to 135 N. Chestnut Street

The Missouri State Highway Patrol Crime Laboratory, currently located at 1510 East Elm Street, Jefferson City, Missouri, will be relocating to a new facility at 135 N. Chestnut Street, Jefferson City, Missouri, on or about January 1, 2027. Please update your records to reflect the new Crime Laboratory address:

Missouri State Highway Patrol
Crime Laboratory
135 N. Chestnut Street
Jefferson City, MO 65101

Additional information regarding the transition, including any changes to evidence submission procedures or services, can be obtained by contacting the laboratory at (573) 526-6134.

The new building is the State of Missouri Multi-Agency Laboratory Campus, which will also house laboratories for the Departments of Health and Senior Services, Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Conservation. Read about the project (opens on oa.mo.gov).

About the Section

The Firearm and Toolmark section receives and examines evidence relating to firearms, firearm components, ammunition, expended ammunition components, distance determination, tools, toolmarks, footwear impressions, and tire tread impressions.

The section offers a number of services useful to investigators. It can determine:

The type of firearm that fired a particular bullet or cartridge case.
Whether a bullet was, or could have been, fired from a specific firearm.
Whether a cartridge case was, or could have been, fired in a specific firearm.
Whether a tool found in a suspect's possession was, or could have been, used to cut, scrape, pry, or pinch evidence seized from a crime scene.
The original serial number of a firearm or other object after the number has been obliterated.
Whether a questioned footwear impression was made by a suspect's footwear.
Whether the tires on a suspect vehicle made a particular tire tread impression.

Areas of Examination

Firearms

Test firing, and comparison of bullets and cartridge cases against a questioned firearm.

Toolmarks

Comparison of marks left by tools used to cut, scrape, pry, or pinch.

Impressions

Footwear and tire tread impression comparison.

Serial Number Restoration

Recovery of serial numbers that have been obliterated from firearms and other objects.

Professional Organizations and Resources

Association of Firearm and Tool Mark Examiners (AFTE) — Opens in a new tab.
Forensic Firearm Identification — Opens in a new tab.
International Association for Identification — Opens in a new tab.
Midwestern Association of Forensic Scientists — Opens in a new tab.
Federal Bureau of Investigation — Opens in a new tab.
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — Opens in a new tab.

Get in touch

Contact the Crime Laboratory

Office hours are 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday.

Call (573) 526-6134Crime Laboratory Division