How the new ballistics and firearms laboratory in Bucks County will help gun-related crimes

Inside the new ballistics laboratory in Bucks County

Bucks County has a new state-of-the-art ballistics and firearms laboratory where test shots are fired from weapons recovered from a crime scene and more. Check it out!

LEVITTOWN, Pa. - The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office unveiled its new state-of-the-art ballistics and firearms laboratory.

What we know:

The lab consists of a firing tank where test shots are fired from weapons recovered from a crime scene, a comparison microscope that shows two pieces of evidence under the same magnification and an area to attempt to cover defaced serial numbers on weapons.

Detective Greg Welsh is the in-house Firearms Examiner for the Bucks County DA’s Office and previously relied on neighboring county or State Police labs and equipment.

"Our expert now has the tools at his disposal to immediately examine either evidence recovered from a shooting scene or evidence from a firearm and turn that investigative material around within hours if the need arises," said Jennifer Schorn, Bucks County District Attorney. "Typically, this type of analysis would take months."

The DA’s Office said a grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency paid for the lab, which cost nearly $168,000.

"I’m now self-contained. I don’t have to rely on another lab and use their equipment, so for me, I’m happy it’s 100 percent complete," said Detective Welsh. "There’s a family out there that wants answers, and they may not like the answers that are given but the evidence speaks for itself."

Detective Welsh also provides expert testimony in court to prove a firearm was used in a crime. 

"That’s why I do it because there’s a family out there that wants answers," said Det. Greg Welsh, Firearms Examiner, Bucks County District Attorney’s Office.

After the evidence is analyzed, it can be submitted to the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN) to see if there’s a connection with another crime which can help solve cases in surrounding counties and states.

"It’s a game changer in making sure we hold people accountable for gun crime," said Schorn.