Smart Gun

The Smart Gun or "Personalised Gun" is a concept gun that aims to reduce the misuse of guns by children/felons through the use of embedded "smart" chips.

Prototypes

Colt

Initial prototypes produced by Colt's Manufacturing Company involved the intended user wearing a bracelet that emitted a radio signal that would activate a mechanism inside the pistol to allow the gun to be fired. The project was apparently scrapped over concerns of the batteries in the bracelet and the pistol failing.

Mossberg

In 1999, Mossberg Shotguns, through it’s subsidiary Advanced Ordnance and an electronics design contractor KinTech Manufacturing developed a “Smart” shotgun using RFID technology. This product is currently being marketed by IGun Technology Corp. The advantage with this design was that the ring worn by the owner and used to identify the owner has a passive tag (meaning no batteries) that relies on proximity to the gun for power. The battery pack in the gun is designed to last up to 10 years when not used or up to 8 hours of continual usage (meaning always ready to be fired). The gun has low battery indication.

NJIT

A current prototype personalized gun relies on biometric sensors in the grip and trigger that can track a gun owner’s hand size and strength. The gun is programmed to recognize only the owner or anyone whom the owner wishes to authorize. One of the major projects involves the New Jersey Institute of Technology team, which claims the prototype identifies gun owners with 90% accuracy.

The smart gun is supposed to

Reduce the likelihood of unintentional injuries to children
Preventing teenage suicides and homicides.
Limit the violent acts committed by criminals using guns stolen.
Protect law enforcement officers from felons seizing firearms after a struggle.

Criticism

The smart gun has been criticised by both the gun rights and gun control groups. One argument is concerning the use of technology with little testing in the field in a machine where a delay or malfunction of chips could cost lives rather than save them. This issue is such a concern that the New Jersey law on smart guns exempts police departments from having to buy them. Smart guns show a lack of reliability, they do not always identify and allow the authorised user, the best examples only show a successful performance 80% of the time.

Moreover the National Rifle Association(NRA) opposes any law - like the one intended to be passed eventually by New Jersey state - that mandates the sale of only such smart firearms instead of leaving the choice to the buyer. Other gun rights groups dislike the idea of tracking technology in firearms since it would facilitate their confiscation.

Gun control groups, such as the Violence Policy Center, are concerned that it might increase gun sales, given the newfound sense of security. But given the increased cost of a "smart gun" a sudden surge in gun ownership is unlikely. Other gun control groups and individuals are more interested in "no guns" than "smart guns".

Nonetheless, the smart gun may become more common with advances in technology.

External links

New Jersey Inst. of Technology Has the complete details on the smart gun with pictures.