What is an abrasion ring?

• A. Ring with blackening effect on the edge of the skin for the entrance point, with soot and GSR left in the wound itself
• B. Ring around the wound caused by heat
• C. Ring of tissue around the wound
• D. Ring of bruise wrapping the wound

Answer: (A)

An abrasion ring describes signs of a close-range entrance wound in gunshot analysis. It appears as a dark, blackened ring around the edge of the skin at the entrance, created by abrasion from the muzzle gases and a bit of heat as the shot is fired very near the skin. Soot and gunshot residue (GSR) from the discharge can be deposited around the edge and may even be found inside the wound itself. This combination points to a short distance between gun and skin at the moment of firing. The other options don’t fit because a heat ring would be a burn pattern without GSR in the wound, a ring of tissue around the wound is just generic tissue description, and a bruise ring reflects contusion rather than soot or GSR deposition.