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Oh well, been lurking on these threads nonstop for over a week so I may as well drop in the occassional post. Thanks all of you for your contributions, it's really helped me keep informed. I'm in the process of figuring out how best to make my own small contribution to this war, and may be enlisting shortly in the Army National Guard.

IF these shootings are jihad-related, can we definitively rule out multiple shooters? Does the ballistic evidence merely confirm that the ammunition is the same, or does it confirm that the same weapon is being used?

My understanding is that in each case, they are only getting slug fragments. IF that is the case, it is doubtful that they can get conclusive ballistics evidence that positively connect each shoot to the same weapon. They are careful in their wording that the bullet evidence is the "same type" and that they are "linked". I would guess that it is more a matter of, "they are the same type of ammo". Nothing more. The Ponderosa victim's doctor said the bullet was fragmented into a lot of small pieces. Or that is the report I heard. If that is the case, there is not way they can positively say they came from the same gun.

Does the ballistic evidence merely confirm that the ammunition is the same, or does it confirm that the same weapon is being used?

Good question. My recollection is that the bullet fragments that are recovered from the victims have "fingerprints" on them from the barrel they have been shot from. I have assumed that each bullet has been verified as having been shot from the same barrel of the same gun whenever a sniper shooting is confirmed. But I could be wrong.

Calling in the reinforcements!

"Does the ballistic evidence merely confirm that the ammunition is the same, or does it confirm that the same weapon is being used?

They can compare the rifling marks to other bullets or fragment as far as size, shape and metal content. That would tell them it's the same bullet which came from the same firearm. By examining the rifling marks, they can tell what type of barrel was used which would eliminate certain firearms. Different manufactures use different rifling techniqes as far as twist and depth.

If they have the cartridge case[not the phony media word, casing] they can tell what the cartridge is since a .223 bullet [actual measurment-.224] is used in a dozen other cartridges. The marks on the head of the cartridge will show an extractor mark and an ejector mark. These marks are on both semi-automatics and bolt action guns. The absense of an ejector mark would show it's a single shot firearm. There are also about a hundred of more different types of gunpowder with about six different shapes of the grainuals. This would also lead to the manufacterer.

The media report which mentioned the rifle was a Mini-14 or a AR-15 was a lie because the ejector mark is in different places.