Smart guns fire up both sides of gun control debate

VIBE
VIBE Members Posts: 54,384 ✭✭✭✭✭
edited May 2014 in The Social Lounge
It's something straight out of a James Bond movie: a gun that only its owner can fire.

That kind of technology is now available in the real world. It's called a "smart gun." Made in Germany, it requires users to wear a radio-controlled watch to fire it, reports CBS News' Jan Crawford.

Maryland gun store owner Andy Raymond announced plans last week to sell it, but within 30 minutes of news getting out, the protests started coming in.

"Things went crazy," Raymond said. "People just started calling. All three of our lines were just boom, boom, boom. A hundred emails. I mean, just like that."

One caller warned Raymond's business would be burned to the ground. Another threatened that Raymond would get what was coming to him.

It's a weapon that fires up people on both sides of the gun control debate.

Some groups who support stringent gun laws say it could lead to wider gun ownership.

Gun rights supporters are even more opposed. They say it could eventually make smart gun technology mandatory in all weapons.

So Raymond backed down, announcing his decision not to sell the guns in a video rant he posted on Facebook.

"So anyway, obviously I received numerous death threats today. I really [expletive] appreciate that, it's really [expletive] classy," Raymond said in the video.

A similar situation happened in Southern California in March. The Oak Tree Gun Club planned to sell the smart gun, but there was a backlash from gun owners. The store reversed course.

"I don't know anyone who wants a smart gun," said Lee Williams, investigative reporter for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune who writes a gun column.

He said opponents see the smart gun laws as a back door way to ban guns.

"If you require only smart guns to be sold and only smart guns to be possessed, the guns that they own now will be declared illegal and it could be a further intrusion on their 2nd Amendment rights," Williams said.

A New Jersey law would do just that. It would eventually require all handguns sold in the state to have the same kind of technology.

California is considering a similar law and Democrats in Congress have proposed federal legislation.

As the technology becomes more available, however, people on both sides say it's only a matter of time before these guns get on the market.

"The technology isn't going away," Raymond said. "If people want to defeat it they need to defeat it in the free market. Then don't buy it."

Groups including law enforcement are not ready to invest because they say the technology isn't reliable yet.

TL;DR

Smart gun can only be fired when you wear the watch that allows it to work. No watch, gun won't fire. Gun shop owner in Maryland announced he would sell it and within minutes he was getting death threats. Gun owners are outraged.

So, good move or not?

Comments

  • The Lonious Monk
    The Lonious Monk Members Posts: 26,258 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Ironic Stupidity 1: Hank Aaron criticizes critics of Obama for letting their racism affect their judgement. Those offended show their disapproval of the comments by sending him racist hate male.

    Ironic Stupidity 2: Gun fanatics complain about being unfairly characterized as violent maniacs. They respond to a vendor selling a "safer" gun with death threats.

    How the hell has the human race managed to survive for thousands of years?

  • D0wn
    D0wn Members Posts: 10,818 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Ironic Stupidity 1: Hank Aaron criticizes critics of Obama for letting their racism affect their judgement. Those offended show their disapproval of the comments by sending him racist hate male.

    Ironic Stupidity 2: Gun fanatics complain about being unfairly characterized as violent maniacs. They respond to a vendor selling a "safer" gun with death threats.

    How the hell has the human race managed to survive for thousands of years?

    White*
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0 Regulator
    The user and all related content has been deleted.
  • Recaptimus_Prime360
    Recaptimus_Prime360 Members Posts: 64,801 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I saw Chris Hayes on MSNBC talk with a gun shop owner who also said he would sell it, but changed his mind 24hrs later. Bcuz he also got death threats as well.

    Uh, NO ONE is gonna tell me if I can or cannot sell that gun. Smh at the sad state of this country.
  • janklow
    janklow Members, Moderators Posts: 8,613 Regulator
    VIBE wrote: »
    So, good move or not?
    to sell the gun? stupid move: it seems like a ? product; it can't be considered reliable for one reason people buy firearms (self-defense), and it not only kicks off some seriously anti-gun laws (see NJ), but encourages more of them. i said it before: i know that shop (it's a nice shop) and i think selling this gun would make me not shop there in the future.

    to make death threats against the guy? yeah, this is a phenomenally stupid move that overshadows anything the guy did by talking about selling the guy, because now pro-gun guys will have that hung over their head.

    in a vacuum, selling the gun is fine, but as things are now...
  • brown321
    brown321 Members Posts: 1,439 ✭✭✭✭✭
    You don't have to buy the gun so these gun nut are being dumb again.
    I hope an imaginary Al-Qaeda terrorist blows 'em all up.
  • janklow
    janklow Members, Moderators Posts: 8,613 Regulator
    brown321 wrote: »
    You don't have to buy the gun so these gun nut are being dumb again.
    kind of sounds like we didn't explore the basis for their argument(s)