ABSTRACT
An ongoing issue that continues to persist is the misuse of terminology by individuals outside the eld of forensic science who utilize the results provided by forensic scientists: police investigators, prosecutors, defense attorneys, the media, and the general public. is terminology misuse results in confusion and misunderstanding on the part of everyone involved. e root cause of terminology misuse is the perpetuation of colloquialisms at every level, save for the forensic scientist. Without a doubt, the most commonly misused term relating to rearms is “bullet,” when the actual reference being made is to a cartridge or round of ammunition. Over and over we hear such references being made on the six o’clock news: “e gun was found with four bullets” or in court by an attorney: “How many bullets were in the gun?” or even in a police report: “e gun had no bullets inside.”
