I’m a big fan of the show <font face=“verdana,arial,helvetica” color="#4040FF">Law & Order</font>. On occasion, I’ve seen them recover a pistol used in a shooting, and one of the detectives will comment, “The handle is taped”.
In such cases, the handle of the pistol is wrapped in what appears to be electrical tape.
What possible purpose does this serve? Does it somehow make it more difficult to figure out who used the gun last?
Afraid to fly? Hey, I’ve been there!
As I understand it,wraping tape sticky side out on the grip of a pistol prevents the police crime lab from recovering fingerprints off of it.
Making identification of the shooter harder.
Peace
t lion
You’re right, Lion.
An interesting side note: A friend who is a police officer once arrested a man who was in possesion of a gun which was taped. But for a different reason.
It was to hold the gun together. It had been used in a brutal pistol whipping.
The funny thing is, I’ve heard that the checkering on the grips of most guns prevents usable fingerprinting anyway. It seems like a nice flat tape surface would take fingerprints a lot better than a bumpy cut-checkered grip. There’s probably something I don’t know about the kind of tape they use.
Nothing I write about any person or group should be applied to a larger group.
Boris B
Chechkered grips are not a universal feature on all pistols.
Most of the time the are added on after purchase.
Besides the smooth metal straps on the front and back of the grip will still hold a useable partial print.
Peace
t lion
Currently, a technique has been created by the Law Enforcement labs involving liquid nitrogen and superglue to get prints off of the sticky side of tape.
The tape stip is placed in a container where the vapor of heated superglue settles mainly on the bodily oil of the prints. The strip is then quick frozen and another technique is used to make a copy of the then visible print.
Mark
“Think of it as Evolution in action.”
There’s still a huge risk, no? What if you touch some other part of the gun and leave prints?
Why not just wear gloves? I guess the reason is that most gunmen don’t want to appear to be gunmen until the critical moment, and who wears gloves in June?
OK, how about putting the gun in a baggie; learn to shoot it with just the tip of your finger on the trigger (so the plastic won’t get in the way). I believe that’s the correct way anyway. Then, when disposing of the gun, take it out of the baggie first. Is this done?
(I trust that most shooters are sufficient losers not to be reading SD, although they probably ought to.)