Ballistics Database Helps Bring Houston Gang War Into Focus

A gang war that authorities say has claimed more than 60 lives in the last six years in Houston didn’t come into focus for officials until a federal ballistics database helped link what had appeared to be unconnected killings. The National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, or NIBIN, is a database that has been around for two decades but has evolved from a purely forensic tool to one that generates investigative leads.