Death Toll Expected to Rise to 91 After Monstrous Oklahoma Tornado…120+ Injured…Many Children Among Dead…Some Children Drowned…Heartbreaking Pictures…Reporter Struggles to Share Terrible News…

Watch Live: Continuing Coverage of Oklahoma Tornado Aftermath

Technology

‘Smart Guns’ Being Developed That Only Shoot in the Hands of Authorized Users — But Is the Tech Up to Snuff?

Jan. 16, 2013 8:45pm Liz Klimas

Last week at a meeting regarding gun safety, Vice President Joe Biden expressed an interest in technology that would prevent firearms from being shot by anyone who wasn’t the gun purchaser. Or to give a popularized example, think of the gun 007 was given in the latest James Bond movie “Skyfall” coded to his palm print so only he could fire it.

RFID and Biometric Technology Being Developed to Prevent Guns From Shooting in the Wrong Hands

James Bond in the latest movie “Skyfall” received a gun coded to his palm. (Image: James Bond Skyfall)

TheBlaze decided to take a look at just what is out there in the way of such technology. The short answer is, there’s not much.

Take TriggerSmart, which is a system that uses radio-frequency identification (RFID) to childproof guns. TriggerSmart’s technology — which had a patent granted in the U.S. last year and has an international patent pending — has the vision to create “smart guns” where only an authorized user could fire the weapon. The technology also seeks to allow remote disabling, called Wide Area Control, of firearms in certain areas, such as airports and schools.

The Irish inventor of the TriggerSmart concept Robert McNamara explained to Reuters in December “we have a technology that could have helped prevent [the Sandy Hook] massacre.” McNamara was recently on Fox News explaining how it works:

TriggerSmart also posted this video on YouTube to show it off:

The problem is that it seems the technology might not be good enough to entice anyone to buy it yet. Reuters has more on that front:

The New Jersey Institute of Technology has spent millions of dollars in federal and state grants to achieve what Senior Vice President of Research and Development Donald H. Sebastian says is a working prototype of a grip-recognizing gun with a success rate of 99 percent or better.

[...]

But gun advocates and some in law enforcement officials say the institute’s success rate is not good enough.

“One failure, one time on the range and I would have no interest in ever carrying that gun again,” said Mitch Barker, executive director of Washington state’s Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. He said guns occasionally jam or misfire for other reasons, but officers are trained to handle such malfunctions.

McNamara’s TriggerSmart technology though, RFID Journal founding editor Mark Roberti told Reuters, is “very reliable.” Roberti pointed out what the technology would need to ensure is that the gun would activate quick enough for the user. It is this problem that Roberti expressed comes up with using biometric data, like in the James Bond gun.

“The problem with fingerprint, palm print and other biometric approaches to preventing guns from being fired by those not authorized to do so is that it takes time to analyze biometric data,” Roberti wrote in a blog post.

The research conducted by NJIT for more than a decade uses biometrics called Dynamic Grip Recognition. Here’s more from NJIT about how the technology, which is still in development, works:

“This is about who you are and how you do something, said Sebastian. This biometric is the foundation of Dynamic Grip Recognition. The technology measures not only the size, strength and structure of a person’s hand, but also the reflexive way in which the person acts. For smart gun, the observed actions are how the person squeezes something to produce a unique and measurable pattern. Embedded sensors in the experimental gun then can read and record the size and force of the users’ hand during the first second when the trigger is squeezed.

Russia is also working on an electronic chip that will be programmed with a gun owner’s biometric data and would prevent the weapon from firing in the hands of unauthorized users.

Another personalization technique is that like ITC’s iGun. Here’s how that works:

The user wears a ring with a special system that triggers power to the iGun system when the ring comes in close range to the normal ring-finger placement on the firearm’s stock. When the iGun senses that the ring is near enough, it compares a unique code (billions of combinations) from the ring to the gun to see if there is a match. If the code matches and certain other conditions are met, an electric current from the battery bank actuates a mechanism to unblock the trigger. At all times, the gun’s traditional manual safety is still available for use. If the manual safety is “off”, the gun may be fired.

ITC goes on to say in a position statement though that it doesn’t want “to see our technology or anyone else’s mandated by law. Personalized firearm ownership should be a choice based on one’s own careful consideration of available options and the proper weighing of risks versus benefits of such technology.”

But some legislation will mandate it. A law passed in New Jersey in 2002 will require all handguns sold in the state to have such “smart” or “personalized” capabilities once the technology is widespread enough. The Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence explains more about what New Jersey’s legislation entails:

Twenty-three months after the Attorney General finds that smart handguns are available for retail sale, the Attorney General and the Superintendent of State Police must begin the process of promulgating a list of such handguns that may be sold in New Jersey. This process must be completed within six months.

Six months after the initial list of handguns is approved, it will be unlawful for any licensed manufacturer, wholesaler, or retail firearms dealer to transport into New Jersey, sell, expose for sale, possess with the intent of selling, assign, or otherwise transfer a handgun unless it is a personalized handgun (excluding antique handguns and handguns used by law enforcement or military officers).

McNamara with TriggerSmart told Reuters that gun manufacturers seem reluctant to jump on board his idea so far.

“The attitude is, ‘We understand this technology is coming down the track and we’ll deal with it when we have to,’” he said. “They’re concerned about the liability aspect. When you put it in one gun you’ll have to put it in every gun.”

Featured image via Shutterstock.com.

In CONTROL, Glenn Beck presents a passionate, fact-based case for guns that reveals why gun control isn’t really about controlling guns at all; it’s about controlling us. Find out more HERE.

Back to The Blaze »

Comments (66)

Shoot2Stop
Posted on January 17, 2013 at 4:55am
As the video rightly stated, “Over the years, there’s been many who’ve tried to develop a smart-gun.” They’ve all failed, not necessarily because of the technology, but due to reliability and other issues.

As DTOM47 said, “Try it on the cops first”. Once the police forces have used it for a decade or so, without failure or loss of a LEO’s life because of it, I ‘might’ consider it – Or not.

Wide Area Control? Just like the ‘No Guns’ signs. Places where the only people with a working firearm will be the bad guys with dumb guns.

If this is offered, but not made mandatory, I suspect it will sell like GM’s Volt. If it’s made mandatory, there will be a thriving underground business for those who can make smart guns dumb again.

Thank you but, I’ll just stick with my trusty old, fully mechanical, 1911. John Browning’s piece of heavenly perfection has never let me down.

.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- Wolf
  Posted on January 17, 2013 at 8:24am
  Right. I have enough guns that my family won’t have to worry about buying any for the next hundred years. And there’s no way I’m going to take them to a ‘smith or dealer or state sponsored drop off point to have them revamped with ‘authorized shooter technology’.
  
  Just another means of gun and people control.
  
  Report this comment
- ItTakesFaith
  Posted on January 17, 2013 at 2:40pm
  The problem:: We FIRST need SMART lawmakers if we have any hope of them making intelligent decisions when it come to lawmaking… We’ve learned that if they have a “D” after their name, they cannot be considered smart by any definition…
  
  Report this comment
- slappyhooper
  Posted on January 17, 2013 at 3:30pm
  Overall I agree with your comments. It occurs to me that you could have a GPS tracking device embedded inside a weapon as well, which would make for quick tracking of stolen or lost weapons. Unfortunately, something like that would be too easily abused by anybody in authority.
  
  Report this comment
- LeoNine
  Posted on January 17, 2013 at 4:01pm
  As accutely aware I am about how juvenile this 60 year old sounds, I will say it. Gestapo of ANY political philosophy, may take the steel of my century old 1911′s, after they collect the lead.
  
  Report this comment
raderby
Posted on January 17, 2013 at 4:11am
no thanks. Electronics are not nearly as reliable as some of you seem to think.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- ItTakesFaith
  Posted on January 17, 2013 at 2:34pm
  Electronics are only reliable enough to NOT work when you need them most… Crap! The battery is dead… so am I…! Of even greater concern, what if I’m injured, and my son picks up the gun to intervene… Oh, crap, we’re now both dead! Finally, what if I’m either wearing gloves (on a cold Winter’s day), or my hands are covered in (choose one): mud, blood, chocolate sauce(?)… will it fail?
  
  To be quite honest, as soon as I saw that the latest 007 featured this reputed technology, I became furious! The Lib-facists are most certainly building for the future, by convincing 10-year-olds that this technology is a “cool” thing (come on, Bond uses it!); their resistance to such “advancements” will be broken by the time they’re buying guns as adults… Our enemy is smart… evil, but smart!
  
  Report this comment
chingachgook
Posted on January 17, 2013 at 1:39am
That is just what you want in a gun fight. Just picture this. One guy down give his gun to other guy. The other guy tries to shoot bad guy. No go smart gun! Bad guy has dumb gun kills guy with smart gun that will not fire and the other guy who was down. Great thinking brain surgeons.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
DTOM47
Posted on January 17, 2013 at 1:05am
It’s perfect for cops. Let’s retrofit all there weapon first. Let’s see how long it takes a hacker to develop a RFID jammer and see how many cops end up dead will there service weapon fully loaded still in their hand.
No thanks you can shove your liberal utopia fantasy where the sun doesn’t shine!

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- Advection
  Posted on January 17, 2013 at 1:18am
  Well said.
  
  When talking about obama’s new gun control edicts, some liberal tried to support it by claiming that some police supported it.
  
  1. obama is the chief of all chiefs of police, and he rules by threats and intimidation. Also, many police belong to unions, and unions would support obama no mater what he does.
  2. The police act in their own self interest. If obama disarms the general public, that’s fewer weapons they have to worry about. The criminals will still get guns, but there will be fewer overall.
  
  Report this comment
- VCF
  Posted on January 17, 2013 at 6:34am
  They already have RFID jammers. I think this is a great idea for the once that want extra safety. But If they push this and force everyone to have this. It would defeat the main reason we have the second amendment. if the government can track ur gun and also turn it off…
  
  Report this comment
Dougral Supports Israel
Posted on January 17, 2013 at 12:55am
I’ll trust my old fashioned gun that depends only on pressure on the trigger to fire. I don’t want some electronic device deciding if I’m really in trouble.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Advection
Posted on January 17, 2013 at 12:01am
The last thing I want, is a “smart” gun that thinks about whether to fire every time I pull the trigger.

If they put computer chips between the trigger and the bullet, the government will eventually put their own backdoor passwords in there so they can disarm everyone on a whim.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- iltws2
  Posted on January 17, 2013 at 4:57am
  Right on the money!
  
  Report this comment
- LeoNine
  Posted on January 17, 2013 at 4:10pm
  Just my own brand of paranoia,(?) but I recall the words His Highness said to the Russian Premier not long ago. “Just wait until my next election” . . .(wink, nod). Now, it looks like the only available bulk ammo is coming from, well, well. Russia, among other dictatorships.! Could a cartridge be made to deacctivate / degrade by, I dunno EMP or sumthin’? Naw, after all. “It can’t happen here”.
  
  Report this comment
anothercomment
Posted on January 16, 2013 at 11:19pm
This is a NO…
Children are smart. Keep the gun out of their view when they begin to toddle, and as they get older, explain why it’s for adults, keep the conversation simple (expanding explanation with each year), and allowing them to even touch it (unloaded) when curiosity begs (omg – I think I heard a liberal gasp) and when they are old enough, let them have and learn to shoot a BB gun or .410 – taking out tin cans and empty bottles, or lose a few hundred BBs on chasing a squirrel or two….(Al Gore has just gasped…or something)
And tell them they will buy the BBs or bird shot with their own allowance…yea, remember that concept? They’ll become fiscal conservatives really fast…
It will cost a lot less, and mommy and daddy do not need to wear ‘special rings’ to ‘activate’ their guns (yea, that stupid thing is in my purse – somewhere).
and No, my sweet little son, Daddy is not…“Bond, James Bond”…..sigh…..but he’s the one that managed to change the nappies – occasionally

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
sasquatch08
Posted on January 16, 2013 at 11:08pm
While this technology is cool and I could see certain limited uses for it, it has a number of flaws.

1) In a home invasion if the gun “owner” is killed or incapacitated (or out of the home), the weapon is useless to other family members.

2) As pointed out in the article, if the system malfunctions, or takes too long to “unlock” the operator might as well not even have the weapon. Personally, when wearing a gun or carrying, I don’t keep my hand on the grip at all times.

3) As others have pointed out, this thing runs on batteries. Batteries always die when you need your flashlight the most, probably the same with this gun.

4) These systems will take virtually no time for people to hack, which will defeat the whole point of this tech.

When someone hacks “Wide Area Control”, then anyone who wants to can lock all the guns cops have at an airport, and prevent any other cops who arrive as backup from using theirs as well.

Further, tinkerers will figure out how to make “Wide Area Control” really really wide, like an entire city by broadcasting the codes to shut down all guns over shortwave or another transmitter that can operate for tens or hundreds of miles.

4) When this stuff breaks, I bet it costs a ton to get fixed and your gun is out for repairs for quite awhile.

I’ll keep it old school, thank you very much.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Havok6471
Posted on January 16, 2013 at 10:34pm
How fast do you think that the government would require that they be able to lock your gun with a master rfid signal? To protect the children of course.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
txbigfoot
Posted on January 16, 2013 at 10:20pm
seriously… tool!
get real.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
ACTIONNOTTALK
Posted on January 16, 2013 at 10:16pm
Need to put one of those on the fridge to keep fata** liberals out of the ice cream.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
BlackCrow
Posted on January 16, 2013 at 9:55pm
Thugly breaks in, it’s 2 am, and the battery is dead.

I’ll keep my World War One pistol thanks.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
  Posted on January 16, 2013 at 10:04pm
  I agree with you there.
  
  Report this comment
Smokey_Bojangles
Posted on January 16, 2013 at 9:50pm
How will that benefit the wife shooting the rapist with her husband’s gun,the teen shooting the rapist pedophile who breaks in? How will it benefit us when the Government turns on gun jammers nation wide before opening the FEMA camps?
I not only say no. I say HELL NO!!

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- OlefromMN
  Posted on January 16, 2013 at 10:25pm
  My thoughts as well. If my wife or young daughters (who are capable of handling a firearm safely) are in need of defense while I am away, I want them to be able to grab my tried and true and be confident in it’s performance. I say NO to any electronic ability to disable a firearm.
  
  Report this comment
m14guy
Posted on January 16, 2013 at 9:47pm
“If the code matches and certain other conditions are met, an electric current from the battery bank actuates a mechanism to unblock the trigger”
What “certain conditions” ? Only a moron would think is a great idea. Read the details…Govt grants. That all you need to know…

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Mr.Fitnah
Posted on January 16, 2013 at 9:46pm
I wear finger less gloves frequently as Im on a bike a lot.
I have no use for this gadget..

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Metallicat
Posted on January 16, 2013 at 9:30pm
The modern firearm is the most refined,dependable tool built by man. This just ruins that by adding a dimension to the firearm not needed for the main purpose of the tool. I think this will make it a less dependable tool by relying on circuit boards that fail for numerous reasons and are easily damaged making the gun inoperable.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- Metallicat
  Posted on January 16, 2013 at 9:42pm
  This will easily add a “shelf life” to firearms and drive up the price of firearms for an unneeded feature for a tool that operated more efficiently and was dependable without it.
  
  Report this comment
- BasketFullOfPuppies
  Posted on January 16, 2013 at 9:45pm
  Not to mention the elegance of it’s simplicity. This is precisely what will make it impossible to use a technological solution to fix a moral problem. There’s really no way to build a gun, so that any failsafes can’t be bypassed, given a little time. Remember Lojack? Great idea. But, as soon as it became popular, the first thing the criminals would do, is cut the antenna. They even built Lojack detectors, to know if it was in the car. So, this device would be great for cops, to keep from getting shot with their own gun. But, I’m in agreement that I would NEVER be able to trust this gun to work, when I needed it to.
  
  Report this comment
StormRider
Posted on January 16, 2013 at 9:26pm
Anybody shoot with gloves on? Cold weather hunters maybe? Anybody ever hear of an EMP?

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
chips1
Posted on January 16, 2013 at 9:24pm
This was tried back in the 70′s and proved to be a joke. Take for example the bank robbery that was shown on TV where the two criminals took on the entire police force. Many officers were shot and each officer would have only been able to use what they had and would have been prevented from using another officers weapon in an emergency. How about the NARCO bank robery. Police were going to gun stores in order to obtain weapons that were at least as powerful as the criminals firepower. This Obama Administration is just a collection of non-thinking dorks.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
DEFCON4
Posted on January 16, 2013 at 9:19pm
‘Smart Guns’ = No.

Responsible Gun Owners = Yes.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- TX_45_ACP
  Posted on January 16, 2013 at 9:29pm
  Well said!
  
  Report this comment
- DeOppressoLiber
  Posted on January 16, 2013 at 9:31pm
  a very dumb idea. the military looked at this and it was determined that no one else could use your gun in an emergency.
  
  Here kill the bad guy, oh thats right your are not Logged in to my gun.
  
  RFID can be tracked by airframes. No thanks
  
  Defcon4 is right responsible gun owners is the answer.
  
  Report this comment
9111315
Posted on January 16, 2013 at 9:13pm
So, If I keep the RFID “Key” near the gun while the battery wears down, the trigger disable motor will lock in the gun enabled mode.

I can then take the gun into a “WAC” zone and all other guns will be disabled. . . . but mine.

I’m sure criminals would never do any other dastardly deeds to disable the weapons. Also, I hope they don’t use any of the old unsafe weapons that don’t have the new WAC crap on them.

Insane.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
TX_45_ACP
Posted on January 16, 2013 at 9:12pm
I wouldn’t trust this technology with my life. Even biometic safes are not there yet. They don’t always open as expected.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
tonypro
Posted on January 16, 2013 at 9:01pm
Same rfid’s used in products, tolls, and passports……………..

Can anyone see where this going?

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- Politijack
  Posted on January 16, 2013 at 11:21pm
  Perhaps it should only work if it linked up with a matching signal from maybe a card you are carrying as well as your hand print/signature.
  
  Oh wait!..no forget the card.How about it only works with the correct microchip(in your flesh) AND the hand/palm signature..we wouldnt want people to loose that silly card ya know.
  
  So ya want to own guns?…gotta get chipped!
  
  Report this comment
OldSurfRat
Posted on January 16, 2013 at 9:00pm
NO WAY!!

What if I m not home and someone breaks in. now lets say that my wife may only be able to get to my gun at the time and then what?
No way no way no way!!!!!!! BAD IDEA!!!!!!

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
m14guy
Posted on January 16, 2013 at 8:58pm
Another “solution” desperately looking for a problem. Only a fool would trust their life with this.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
TSUNAMI_22
Posted on January 16, 2013 at 8:53pm
Ummmm, NO.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- oldguy49
  Posted on January 16, 2013 at 9:01pm
  i can visualize the government with jammers marching people off without a shot being fired
  
  Report this comment
- TSUNAMI_22
  Posted on January 16, 2013 at 9:08pm
  oldguy49
  
  I agree, and I’m sure the criminal element wouldn’t use one without a smart chip. (sarcasm)
  
  The people that invent this stuff are perpetually stupid, and apparently it’s contagious. More nonsense from people who believe that life is a movie.
  
  Report this comment
- donkeykong
  Posted on January 17, 2013 at 2:55am
  Oldguy-
  Yeah, got a point there. There’s always a reason the Gub’ment
  pushes for something, and it’s usually to give themselves an
  advantage ‘when the time comes’. But, the Chinese invented
  gunpowder, and you cannot un-invent that. 2 Lbs of flash powder
  surrounded by 4 Lbs of 16-penny nails would make one h$ll
  of a mess if someone came for you….don’t always need a gun.
  
  Report this comment

It appears that you have Javascript Disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser preferences for a better user experience on TheBlaze. You can not comment without Javascript enabled.