The Challenges for Smart-Gun Makers
Armatix’s Baselock module requires a PIN to release a firearm it’s holding. A rod holds the gun in place.
Source: Courtesy Armatix
“If we can set it up so you can’t unlock your phone unless you’ve got the right fingerprint, why can’t we do the same thing for our guns?” That’s the reasonable-sounding question President Obama asked during his Jan. 5 gun control address from the White House. The answer is a little complicated: Even with presidential backing, it would be naive to expect a market for so-called smart guns to spring to life anytime soon.
Digitally equipped firearms have been around since the mid-1990s. They’re designed to avoid mishaps and criminality by working only for authorized users. Smart guns typically employ either biometric technology, like fingerprint scanners, or a radio-frequency-identification device (RFID), such as a ring or bracelet that sends a signal to unlock the weapon at a certain proximity.