Sounds from gunshots may help solve crimes

By measuring sound waves of 20 gun types, researcher hopes to improve forensics

Gun sounds

TAKING AIM  An aluminum arc holds 12 microphones for recording gunshot sounds. Robert Maher built the contraption to find out whether different kinds of guns make distinct sounds. Here, Maher’s colleague Steven Shaw prepares to shoot in a prairie in Bozeman. 

R. Maher

The surveillance video shows a peaceful city streetscape: People walking, cars driving, birds chirping.