What do you think of this idea? I can see the good and bad
(The Blaze) It’s stuff straight out of a Bond movie. And now it’s being trumpeted once again by the Obama administration, specifically Eric Holder, to talk about gun issue.
What is it? Technology that prevents a gun from being fired by anyone but the lawful owner.
“I think that one of the things that we learned when we were trying to get passed those common sense reforms last year, Vice President Biden and I had a meeting with a group of technology people and talked about how guns can be made more safe,†Holder told Congress on Friday.
“By making them — either through finger print identification, the gun talks to a bracelet or something that you might wear, — how guns can be used only by the person who is lawfully in possession of the weapon,†he added. “It’s those kinds of things that I think we want to try to explore so that we can make sure that people have the ability to enjoy their Second Amendment rights, while at the same time decreasing the misuse of weapons that lead to the kinds of things that we see on a daily basis, where people where, kids especially, are struck down.â€
The Blaze goes on to note that there is very little out on the market for this type of technology. One thing I’m seeing is an automatic response of people saying “hell no!” Having this technology available would not be a bad thing. For parents, this could be a great way to limit children’s ability to grab the gun and have something Bad happen without having to lock the weapon up and stick it on the top shelf behind the winter sweaters. Not particularly accessible if someone breaks in, eh? What if it could be left in the dresser drawer without fear?
I’m not particularly thrilled with the notion of the gun being linked to a fingerprint. It would certainly make it damned difficult in case someone steals the weapon, but it would also make it difficult to sell it, or let someone use it at the firing range. What if the spouse is the one who needs to grab it? I suppose it could be programmed to accept more than one fingerprint, but, more important, do these prints end up in government hands? More intrusion?
Some type of bracelet, ring, something wearable that uses a code would be the best. The biggest problem is not legal guns, but illegal guns. Many of those guns are stolen. According to the DOJ, 1.4 million guns were stolen from homes between 2005 and 2010. Roughly 25,000 guns are stolen from dealers every year. If there is a way to make them virtually unusable every year, would that not be a Good Thing? 2nd Amendment advocates constantly state that the issue is the criminals, not the law abiding citizens.
But, would this be mandatory? Would Los Federales require registration of the tech? Would they have a way to shut the link down, meaning you could not fire the weapon? What’s your opinion?
Crossed at Right Wing News.
It’s the same old same old camel’s nose under the tent. It’s always a “good thing” – its always “for the children”. Guns are tools just like shovels and screwdrivers are tools. Remember the Second Amendment and its purpose – Molon Labe!