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Smart guns: One answer to the mass-shooting epidemic?


FlyJ

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Wednesday's shooting -- when a couple killed 14 people at a San Bernardino, California, disabilities center -- was the third mass shooting in less than a week.

 

That grim statistic pales to this one: The United States has seen more mass shootings than days this year, according to a tracker put together by the Guns Are Cool subreddit.

 

But what if guns worked only after recognizing shooters' fingerprints? That's just one technology already being used to keep guns away from unauthorized users. Other so-called smart guns rely on radio-frequency identification, or RFID. These guns can only be used when they're near, say, a watch that's sending out the correct radio waves.

 

The topic is part of the passionate debate on gun control.

 

Gun-rights groups say smart technology is just another way for the government to track, and ultimately ban, firearms. To be sure, smart technology would not have stopped the San Bernardino shooters, who legally bought their four semiautomatic guns, two rifles and two pistols. No American gun shop sells smart guns, according to an October report on CBS' 60 Minutes. (CNET is owned by CBS.)

 

Gun-control proponents counter that technology can cut shooting accidents and curb the free flow of illegal firearms.

 

"I find it ironic that certain gun rights advocates are trying to prohibit smart guns, especially when they are preaching gun safety. It is extremely frustrating," said Mike McLively, a staff attorney for the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, in San Francisco. The nonprofit was created in 1993, after a mass shooting at 101 California Street, in the heart of the city's financial district, left nine people dead.

 

The National Rifle Association did not respond to requests for a comment.

 

Could the creation of smart guns help curb mass shootings? Silicon Valley investor Ron Conway, center, speaking at the launch of the Smart Tech Innovation Challenge held last year in San Francisco, believes so.

Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Count Silicon Valley as smart gun fans. Take the Smart Tech Challenges Foundation. Spearheaded by angel investor Ron Conway, the foundation last year set up $1 million in prizes to innovators designing safer guns.

 

The foundation -- created in response to the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, that killed 20 children and six adults -- has funded 15 inventions so far. Now Conway, an early investor in Facebook and Google, is evaluating additional technologies to fund.

 

"These firearms should be available so consumers can choose whether or not they want to own one. If you don't like the technology, don't buy it. Don't stop people from purchasing this type of technology," said Margot Hirsch, the foundation's president. "It's just another solution to help prevent gun violence. To prevent guns from falling into the wrong hand, we need many different solutions and we need to be open to all possibilities."

 

 

Not everyone is a fan. On its website, the NRA says it's not against the technology, but it does oppose "any law prohibiting Americans from acquiring or possessing firearms that don't possess 'smart' gun technology."

 

Last month, New Jersey State Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg said she plans to introduce a bill that requires guns dealers to sell at least one smart gun, replacing a broader but less effective rule from 2002.

 

"It makes sense to alleviate some of the concerns of gun owners and dealers out there," McLively said about Weinberg's proposal. He credits Weinberg with being open to constructive criticism as she tries to craft legislation in favor of the technology.

 

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America is very liberal with their gun laws which has a lot of support at congress and amongst citizens. These laws advocate rights to legal guns as protection. The constitution guarantees citizens the right to protect themselves. Though government believes they can curb this gun freedom through methods like smart guns and the no fly lists, which unfortunately has many loopholes. People on FBI's No fly list still legally get their hands on a gun. So much gun freedom!

Its still too easy for dangerous people to get their hands on a gun.

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I'm still of the opinion that that nation will bring armageddon on us.

 

Really? Blame United States for Armageddon #smh

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America is very liberal with their gun laws which has a lot of support at congress and amongst citizens. These laws advocate rights to legal guns as protection. The constitution guarantees citizens the right to protect themselves. Though government believes they can curb this gun freedom through methods like smart guns and the no fly lists, which unfortunately has many loopholes. People on FBI's No fly list still legally get their hands on a gun. So much gun freedom!

Its still too easy for dangerous people to get their hands on a gun.

 

I don't know how the "no fly list" is supposed to help "curb gun freedom", but the reason people on the "no fly list" can LEGALLY get guns is called Due Process which " is the legal requirement that the state must respect all legal rights that are owed to a person. Due process balances the power of law of the land and protects the individual person from it." meaning if you can't prove anything against them just having them on the list isn't good enough to take away their rights.

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Hahahaha! Welcome @Moresco. We missed you.

 

I was never gone, if I have nothing to say. I wouldn't say anything.

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I don't know how the "no fly list" is supposed to help "curb gun freedom", but the reason people on the "no fly list" can LEGALLY get guns is called Due Process which " is the legal requirement that the state must respect all legal rights that are owed to a person. Due process balances the power of law of the land and protects the individual person from it." meaning if you can't prove anything against them just having them on the list isn't good enough to take away their rights.

 

I would say that restricting people on the 'no fly list' from easily reaching a gun would help reduce gun liberty, loads. If it is suspected that terrorism comes easy to them, misusing a handy gun equally might not be a thoroughly far fetched suspicion?

 

“If you’re too dangerous to board a plane, you’re too dangerous to buy a gun,” Barrack Obama

 

I simply understand his logic

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You are aware that there is a black market for guns though, so restricting guns from people on the “list” would not stop them from getting guns because they are determined to kill regardless of anything. If they can’t shop it in a shop, they will buy it from an hustler, which is more difficult to trace. For example, France has one of the strictest gun laws in the world, what happened?

 

Who says it would stop at guns, the “due process” is there for a reason because power corrupts, and giving a bunch of people absolute power to do whatever they want disregarding due process is craziness. See what happened with the Patriot Act, it used to monitor Americans who had no connections to terrorism, search records without warrants and so on. I don’t trust giving Government(s) anymore power.

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Instead of investing in smart guns how about we invest in each other? Like WTF!

In a world where people are starving and drowning while running away from guns...what we need is more food not more guns

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