Organizational History
Prior to 1969, police and civilian firearm and tool mark examiners regularly met during annual meetings of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) to discuss concerns specific to their field.
In 1969, 35 examiners from the United States and Canada met at the Chicago Police Department Crime Laboratory and formed the Association of Firearm and Tool Mark Examiners. The first official Association publication was AFTE Newsletter Number 1, published on May 15, 1969. In 1972, the title of the publication was changed to AFTE Journal.
Each year since 1969, an Annual AFTE training seminar has been held at locations throughout the United States and Canada. The primary purpose of the annual seminars is to provide for the interchange of information as it relates to all aspects of the science of firearm and tool mark identification. The fifth anniversary training seminar in Washington, D.C. in 1974 was attended by 87 individuals, representing three countries. Five years later, the seminar in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was attended by 149 examiners from seven countries.
In 1980, AFTE published the AFTE Glossary. It consisted of definitions and illustrations related to the field of firearm and tool mark identification, commonly used abbreviations, various formulas for determining bullet energy and rate of spin and useful chemical formulas. A second, more comprehensive edition was published in 1982 and a third edition of the glossary was published in 1994. This edition featured material from the first two editions with additional definitions and illustrations as well as new appendices which included definitions for computer terminology, fingernail examinations (a tool mark in a biological matrix), knives, machining terms, gunshot wound terminology and shooting scene reconstruction terminology.
In 1982, AFTE published an official training manual to be used as a modular guide for the training of firearm and tool mark examiners.
In 1989, AFTE hosted its 20th Anniversary Annual training seminar in Virginia Beach, VA. Some 210 individuals from twelve countries attended the seminar and in 1994 the training seminar in Indianapolis, Indiana was attended by over 300 individuals from 21 countries. The current membership of AFTE includes approximately 850 members, technical advisors and subscribers that represent over 40 countries from around the world.
In 2012, the AFTE Training Seminar held in Buffalo, New York had 388 attendees from 28 countries.
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