Smart guns: dumb idea
Smart guns are supposed to use various authentication (biometric or digital) methods to ensure their guns only fire when the authorized user pulls the trigger. A company in Germany makes one and has a promotional video. Did the smart gun fail? Video at the link. I heard the click of what I assumed was the hammer/striker. But perhaps there is a block of some sort when the non-authorized person handles it. Still, doesn’t look comforting. And it’s just one more thing to fail.
May 28th, 2009 at 10:50 am
Looks pretty graphic to me – the first pull after the gun leaves the “authorized operator” worked, then the gun disconnected the trigger – and when they passed it back & forth, it did it again. Real reliable software there..
Since it works with RF, I bet I could build a gizmo that would deactivate every equipped gun in a small area, regardless of what wristband the operator was wearing..
May 28th, 2009 at 11:07 am
Oh, great another idiot excuse, “But I thought I wasn’t authorized to fire the gun.” Will that replace, “I thought it wasn’t loaded”?
Guns are simple and no amount of education will change that. When dealing with the simple the responsibility for being smart lies with the operator and caretaker.
May 28th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
I’m betting the tester just pulled the trigger while the gun was still in RF range of the wristband.
Like if you leave your jewelry on your nightstand and the gun is in the nightstand drawer. Doesn’t matter if the band is on a wrist the gun will be “hot” because it’s close.
Of course the bigger issue is not having dead batteries when somebody tries to kill you, and of course making it a royal pain to teach new shooters how to safely handle and use a gun.
May 28th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
If they are such a great idea, give them to the police to field test. How many will start carrying a “non-smart” backup gun, I wonder?
May 28th, 2009 at 8:27 pm
The purpose of smart guns is to introduce electronics into guns which the government can then control. Just like the fact that some cars can be disabled remotely, the government will demand the ability to disable guns via wireless. You’ll be disarmed without them taking the gun from you.