was a small mention about smart guns on CTV at lunch talking about california going to require it. only thing i could find is this article. me as a computer tech is thinking:
Caller: it wont fire!
tech: did you try to reboot maybe it crashed.
Caller: I tried that
tech: what color is the light when u hold it?
Caller: flashes red green
Tech: maybe bad firmware...
I could go on about this
http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/857672.html
Gun-stealing thieves beware: Handguns of the future may recognize their owners instantly – and not fire for anyone else.
A California lawmaker is so sure that current biometric research will produce "smart" guns that he's proposing to require them in coming years.
Assemblyman Mark DeSaulnier has proposed legislation to ensure that new firearm models contain such technology within 18 months after it becomes commercially available.
"I'm here to try to save lives," said DeSaulnier, D-Concord.
Assembly Bill 2235 would require the attorney general to report annually on whether a smart gun is offered for sale in any state or country, which would trigger the mandate. If the technology is not marketed by 2014, the bill would expire.
Opponents of gun control ridicule the legislation.
"This is anti-gunners dreaming that 'Star Trek' is right around the corner," said Sam Paredes of Gun Owners of California.
"You're infringing on people's ability to get guns, and use guns, by requiring these goofy contraptions," Paredes said.
Gun legislation typically sparks big fights in California, where accidental shootings cause about 60 deaths and 650 hospitalizations each year.
AB 2235 spotlights years of research into "child-proof" or "owner-authorized" guns through biometrics, whose current uses include scanning eyeballs to ensure positive identification.
Experts envision handguns that could instantly identify their owners through a palm print, thus preventing their firing by children or thieves or when accidentally dropped.
Smart gun technology is expected to raise the cost of a handgun by about $50, said DeSaulnier, whose bill will be debated Tuesday in the Assembly Public Safety Committee.
Ho Chang of Nano Ident, an Austria-based firm doing smart-gun research, said that a prototype could be ready in about two years but field testing could take several years longer.
"Thank God we have this technology around the corner; let's use it," said Mary Leigh Blek of Orange County Citizens for the Prevention of Gun Violence.
Nick and Amanda Wilcox, whose 19-year-old daughter was shot to death seven years ago in Nevada County, are supporting AB 2235 through the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
"As a parent who has lost a child, I know the grief of a gun tragedy," Amanda Wilcox said. "We must change this."
Tony Iton, of the Health Officers Association of California, said that requiring smart guns – like auto seat belts – is a common-sense way to save lives.
Opponents counter that AB 2235 could backfire – for example, if a man's handgun were programmed to identify only his own palm and his wife suddenly needed to defend herself in an emergency.
"The only way to foolproof a firearm is to educate the owner," said Chuck Michel of the California Rifle & Pistol Association.
Questions abound about smart-gun technology, including whether it could fail if owners were wearing gloves or burned their hand, whether it could be harmed by corrosive gun oil, and how long batteries would last before wearing out.
Larry Thompson and Wayne Yarbrough, of Orangevale, took a break from target practice at a Rancho Cordova shooting range Friday to blast AB 2235.
"Cops and the government are always putting their nose where it doesn't belong," Yarbrough said.
Thompson said the bill would have no impact because smart guns would be vastly outnumbered by traditional firearms.
Lawrence Keane, general counsel for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, representing handgun manufacturers, said the industry does not oppose smart-gun research.
But AB 2235, similar to legislation passed by New Jersey, would impair consumer choice and could expose manufacturers to new liability, Keane said.
"People have been saying that a viable, workable, commercialized smart gun is just two years away," he said. "They've been saying that for 15 years – and it's still not on the marketplace. Maybe it will (be perfected); maybe it won't."
Caller: it wont fire!
tech: did you try to reboot maybe it crashed.
Caller: I tried that
tech: what color is the light when u hold it?
Caller: flashes red green
Tech: maybe bad firmware...
I could go on about this
http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/857672.html
Gun-stealing thieves beware: Handguns of the future may recognize their owners instantly – and not fire for anyone else.
A California lawmaker is so sure that current biometric research will produce "smart" guns that he's proposing to require them in coming years.
Assemblyman Mark DeSaulnier has proposed legislation to ensure that new firearm models contain such technology within 18 months after it becomes commercially available.
"I'm here to try to save lives," said DeSaulnier, D-Concord.
Assembly Bill 2235 would require the attorney general to report annually on whether a smart gun is offered for sale in any state or country, which would trigger the mandate. If the technology is not marketed by 2014, the bill would expire.
Opponents of gun control ridicule the legislation.
"This is anti-gunners dreaming that 'Star Trek' is right around the corner," said Sam Paredes of Gun Owners of California.
"You're infringing on people's ability to get guns, and use guns, by requiring these goofy contraptions," Paredes said.
Gun legislation typically sparks big fights in California, where accidental shootings cause about 60 deaths and 650 hospitalizations each year.
AB 2235 spotlights years of research into "child-proof" or "owner-authorized" guns through biometrics, whose current uses include scanning eyeballs to ensure positive identification.
Experts envision handguns that could instantly identify their owners through a palm print, thus preventing their firing by children or thieves or when accidentally dropped.
Smart gun technology is expected to raise the cost of a handgun by about $50, said DeSaulnier, whose bill will be debated Tuesday in the Assembly Public Safety Committee.
Ho Chang of Nano Ident, an Austria-based firm doing smart-gun research, said that a prototype could be ready in about two years but field testing could take several years longer.
"Thank God we have this technology around the corner; let's use it," said Mary Leigh Blek of Orange County Citizens for the Prevention of Gun Violence.
Nick and Amanda Wilcox, whose 19-year-old daughter was shot to death seven years ago in Nevada County, are supporting AB 2235 through the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
"As a parent who has lost a child, I know the grief of a gun tragedy," Amanda Wilcox said. "We must change this."
Tony Iton, of the Health Officers Association of California, said that requiring smart guns – like auto seat belts – is a common-sense way to save lives.
Opponents counter that AB 2235 could backfire – for example, if a man's handgun were programmed to identify only his own palm and his wife suddenly needed to defend herself in an emergency.
"The only way to foolproof a firearm is to educate the owner," said Chuck Michel of the California Rifle & Pistol Association.
Questions abound about smart-gun technology, including whether it could fail if owners were wearing gloves or burned their hand, whether it could be harmed by corrosive gun oil, and how long batteries would last before wearing out.
Larry Thompson and Wayne Yarbrough, of Orangevale, took a break from target practice at a Rancho Cordova shooting range Friday to blast AB 2235.
"Cops and the government are always putting their nose where it doesn't belong," Yarbrough said.
Thompson said the bill would have no impact because smart guns would be vastly outnumbered by traditional firearms.
Lawrence Keane, general counsel for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, representing handgun manufacturers, said the industry does not oppose smart-gun research.
But AB 2235, similar to legislation passed by New Jersey, would impair consumer choice and could expose manufacturers to new liability, Keane said.
"People have been saying that a viable, workable, commercialized smart gun is just two years away," he said. "They've been saying that for 15 years – and it's still not on the marketplace. Maybe it will (be perfected); maybe it won't."
