Results indicate that the presence of hair can significantly affect the deposition of gunshot residue on skin. Specifically, the results showed that (1) hair could completely prevent the deposition of gunshot residue to the scalp and other hair-covered areas, (2) an entry wound without stippling, sooting, or gunshot residue particles could not be regarded as a distant-range shot without considering the presence of hair as an intervening object, and (3) hair acted as an effective filter and retained gunshot residue. A primary element in the analysis of many shooting incidents is distance determination, the distance from the gun muzzle to the entry wound. The criteria most commonly used in this determination is the presence or absence of gunshot residue. Gunshot residue is defined as visible soot deposit particles. However, common protocols fail to consider the effect that hair may have on the deposition of gunshot residue. This paper examined the hypothesis that the presence of hair could significantly affect the deposition of gunshot residue on skin. Figures and references