Where are gunshot residue deposits most likely located in a close-range gunshot wound?

• A. In the clothing
• B. In the air
• C. In the bloodstream
• D. In the wound itself

Answer: (D)

When a gun is fired at close range, the muzzle gases and partially burned powder are driven directly into the wound tract. The wound itself acts like a trap, so the heaviest concentration of gunshot residue is found inside the wound along the path of the bullet and around the wound edges. While some residue can land on clothing or skin near the wound or be expelled into the air, those locations do not accumulate residues as densely as the tissue inside the wound. The particles come from the primer and powder, not something that routinely travels in the bloodstream, so the wound interior is the most likely and informative location for GSR at close range.