Smart Gun

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

On the Market since 1996

A Magloc smart gun conversion kit for 1911 A1 series is available from [http://www.smartlock.com Smart Lock Technology Inc.] Its patented concept is that the user wear a matching magnetic ring that repels the magnetic blocking device installed inside the handle of the firearm hence allowing the hand holding energy to activating the safety mechanism. No battery is required. Once the system is activated using the matching magnetic ring, the owner can switch the over-ride switch to the on position and allow anyone to fire the pistol.

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, [http://www.mossberg.com Mossberg Shotguns] , through its subsidiary Advanced Ordnance and an electronics design contractor [http://www.kintech.com KinTech Manufacturing] developed a “Smart” shotgun using RFID technology. This product is currently being marketed by [http://www.iguntech.com 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.

New Jersey Institute of Technology

A current prototype personalized gun relies on biometric sensors in the grip and trigger that can track a gun owner’s hand size, strength, and Dynamic grip style also known as (DGR) Dynamic Grip Recognition. 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.

http://www.njit.edu/v2/pwt/

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 stolen guns.
*Protect law enforcement officers from criminals grabbing their firearms during a struggle.

If chip failure occurs one of two things can happen:
*For Civilian use, the gun will be set to not fire.
*For Law enforcement use, the safety system will be bypassed, and the gun will be allowed to fire.

External Factors such as: Fatigue and other synonyms have been factor in the use of the Smart Gun.

Criticism

The smart gun has been criticized 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. Which defeats the purpose of law enforcement officers using them in the first place. Smart guns show a lack of reliability, they do not always identify and allow the authorized user, the best examples show a successful performance only 80% of the time.

Moreover the National Rifle Association (NRA) and dozens of other gun-rights groups oppose 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. Firearms experts note that the biometrics factors are subject to change due to owner fatigue, aging, illness, injury and failure to place the fingers in the same exact place each time the pistol is held.

Some 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 increasing its reliability.

External links

* [http://www.njit.edu/publicinfo/newsroom/Spotlight_smartgun.php New Jersey Inst. of Technology] Has the complete details on the smart gun with pictures.
* [http://www.njit.edu/v2/pwt/ Smart Gun project Website] Also Known as : Personal Weapon Technology (PWT)