This seminar will raise the level of technical expertise of a violent crime prosecutor tasked with handling gun cases including lethal shooting jury trials. The following topics will be covered:
· Overview of firearms function and terminology itself, in order to demystify a fairly technical area and to establish solid competence when communicating with investigators pre-trial and ultimately the jury;
· Legality of the weapon itself, including “ghost guns”, privately manufactured firearms (PMF’s) machine guns and short barreled rifles;
· The offender and the legality of a particular individual possessing an otherwise lawful firearm;
· Forensic tools and strategies to investigate, identify and successfully prosecute the use of firearms against innocent victims; and
· Emerging legal issues involving firearms in lethal force situations such as stand your ground and traditional self-defense claims.
