Smith and Wesson's "smart" gun.

[PinnedAndRecessed]

I was told that Smith and Wesson had developed a handgun that uses a computer chip to recognize the fingerprint of the owner.

I said, "You mean 'smart' gun technology?"

He said, "Yes."

I said, "They're a long way from that."

He said, "No. Smith and Wesson already has one and Ruger is developing one."

I didn't want to rebut him in front of others, but, has Smith developed a "smart" gun?

 

[Chrontius]

In a word, vaporware.

Prototypes exist, but their reliability is crap. They won't release them until they're supposedly as reliable as the rest of the gun.

While technically it's been done, it'll probably be a decade until it's ready for the mainstream. Minimum.

 

[Maser]

I'm assuming that is to keep your gun safe from other people firing it. Kind of a weird idea because then you can't let any of your shooting buddies shoot it without first programming the chip with their prints too.

 

[leadcounsel]

Buy up dumb guns while you can!

 

[griz]

I saw a video of one of these prototypes. The manufactuer was going to demonstrate it for the press. That sounds like a best case scenerio for the product, but they could not get it to fire. Some may argue that the gun was then "safe", not me.

 

[dfaugh]

As mentioned, there've been prototypes, using various technologies aroung for several years. The one I saw something about on TV, several years ago, was geared towards law enforcement, and had chip that responded to a wristband or something that the user wore. If the gun was more than a few inches away from the wristband (e.g. the "perp" got ahold of the cops gun) it wouldn't fire....'course it also didn't work with the other hand, without another wristband!

 

[Maser]

As mentioned, there've been prototypes, using various technologies aroung for several years. The one I saw something about on TV, several years ago, was geared towards law enforcement, and had chip that responded to a wristband or something that the user wore. If the gun was more than a few inches away from the wristband (e.g. the "perp" got ahold of the cops gun) it wouldn't fire....'course it also didn't work with the other hand, without another wristband!

Yeah, I saw something like that too, but it wasn't a wristband. It was a ring worn on the finger and the ring had to be pressed against the grip the right way or the gun still wouldn't fire.

 

[Don't Tread On Me]

Yeah...certain people in our society will find a way to reconcile the "RKBA" which they despise with modern technology.

Can anyone say RFID? Some sort of cellular or RF tech could be used to "turn off" all the guns in a city block. Would be great news ya know - would protect police during raids and all that stuff will be the justification, as well as the classic "it's for the children" ...I wouldn't worry. First they have to perfect it, then they have to try and pass a bill to make it mandatory. Then they have to ban all the "dumb guns"...This stuff doesn't have to happen if we don't want it to happen.


Well, to get back on subject..I too have heard of prototypes, and the only people hyping it up in such a way where you'd think it would be available in a couple of years are the anti's. Makes you wonder WHY eh? I doubt we'll see any smart gun tech in the next 10 years at least.


I don't trust my PC to do anything remotely serious, you think I'm going to trust my firearm when it will be full of electronics that WILL break, fail, or deteriorate over time? No way. The design of the firearm is such that it can serve mankind for another 500 years if need be, without any electronic nonsense. Just like a shovel, hammer, pickaxe have served mankind for thousands of years without needing microchips.

 

[Maser]

Yeah...certain people in our society will find a way to reconcile the "RKBA" which they despise with modern technology.

Can anyone say RFID? Some sort of cellular or RF tech could be used to "turn off" all the guns in a city block. Would be great news ya know - would protect police during raids and all that stuff will be the justification, as well as the classic "it's for the children" ...I wouldn't worry. First they have to perfect it, then they have to try and pass a bill to make it mandatory. Then they have to ban all the "dumb guns"...This stuff doesn't have to happen if we don't want it to happen.


Well, to get back on subject..I too have heard of prototypes, and the only people hyping it up in such a way where you'd think it would be available in a couple of years are the anti's. Makes you wonder WHY eh? I doubt we'll see any smart gun tech in the next 10 years at least.


I don't trust my PC to do anything remotely serious, you think I'm going to trust my firearm when it will be full of electronics that WILL break, fail, or deteriorate over time? No way. The design of the firearm is such that it can serve mankind for another 500 years if need be, without any electronic nonsense. Just like a shovel, hammer, pickaxe have served mankind for thousands of years without needing microchips.

+1

I don't even trust my own laptop let alone having microchip technology in a gun that I would use as an HD weapon. Say for instance my house was broken into and the intruder had a gun and I had my "chipped" gun and then for some reason there was a virus or something on the network of chipped guns and my gun would be completly useless. It's a nice concept and everything, but will NEVER be perfected at least in my lifetime and i'm only 16!!

 

[BigG]

This thing has gone full-circle; do you recall that fixed ammunition became the norm around 1880 or so, then they spent 30 - 50 years making sure it was reliable and the guns could go bang every time. Now they are trying to make it so the guns are unreliable.

 

[Zrex]

I want to get one of these setups on a fire extinguisher. That would definitely make my house safer.

 

[OH25shooter]

Sounds like the "attorneys" (once again) are telling S&W what to build. What's next, a tiny personal ID card that has to be swiped into a channel on the slide? :banghead:

 

[PinnedAndRecessed]

Yeah, I saw something like that too, but it wasn't a wristband. It was a ring worn on the finger and the ring had to be pressed against the grip the right way or the gun still wouldn't fire.

I remember something like that. Only it wasn't a computer chip. It was a magnet.

Massad Ayoob was writing about it in the late 1970s. He had installed in a Model 66, IIRC. And he wore a ring, which was the magnet. Only when he was wearing the ring could he shoot the gun.

Anybody else remember that? He nicknamed the gun "Fluffy."

 

[mp510]

Baikal developed a proto-type smart gun Makarov several years ago for the IWA(?) show. It worked off a ring system, however I haven't seen any mention of the piece since.

 

[Boom-stick]

If you've ever used finger print recognition software on a PDA you'll know that this is just another bad idea waiting to happen, it'll unlock in ya pocket and won't unlock when you really, really need it. Not so bad with a PDA but with ya gun????

 

[nbkky71]

Unless they've somehow revolutionized biometric fingerprint reading technology, the verification time is around 1-2 seconds.

Draw & present your pistol, then count off 1-2 seconds, then fire. Would that be acceptable for a duty or self-defence pistol?

And that assumes a best case scenario. Add on extra time for the reader to reset if you don't press your finger fully on the reader, or keep it stationary, or bungle your draw, etc.

If a smart-gun ever does come around, RF will probably be the prefered authentication method.

 

[benEzra]

I've seen no reports of an S&W electronically locked gun. New S&W's do have an integral key lock that can be used to disable the gun, but that's about it.

Taurus has reportedly been experimenting (somebody probably paid them to do so), and New Jersey has been hyping its imaginary Metal Storm kludge for, oh, half a decade or so, but I've never seen anything from S&W.

 

[cbsbyte]

One day there will be smart guns, that use biometrics to identify the shooter and bullets that can find their own way to the target. This is called progress. Until that day comes, where the technology is refined enough that it will work, we are all better off with dumb guns.

 

[drclark]

EMP

I would not trust my life on a gun that incorporated any electronics. Chances are, "smart" guns meant for the civilian market will not have the electronics hardened against an EMP event. Most likely due to the cost involved.

That is also why I believe that all military, law-enforcement, and all other .gov agencies will not be required to use "smart gun" technology.

drc

 

[Guy B. Meredith]

See signature

 

[NukemJim]

Massad Ayoob was writing about it in the late 1970s. He had installed in a Model 66, IIRC. And he wore a ring, which was the magnet. Only when he was wearing the ring could he shoot the gun.

I believe Magna Trigger is what you are referring to. Here try this link ( I hope it works )

http://www.tarnhelm.com/magna-trigger/gun/safety/magna1.html

Hope this helps

NukemJim

 

[CajunBass]

I remember reading about the Smith & Wesson with the ring modification. I think it was in Gun Digest or something about 20 years ago. IIRC, there was an incident where a perp did get a revolver with the device from the cop carrying it, and tried to shoot the cop. When the gun didn't work, he ran off with the pistol.

Later he turned up at a gunsmith's complaining that his gun didn't work. As soon as the gunsmith took the grips off, he realized what it was and called the cops. "I'll have your gun for a in a few minutes. Have a seat, and make yourself at home."

I have no idea if the story is true, but it should be.

 

[Saevar]

I'm not really worried about having my "smart gun" disabled by EMP. Given the sources of EMP, if my gun is disabled in such a fashion I'll more likely be concerned with the outbreak of nuclear war and the lethal exposure of radiation I'm taking.

Of course the far more likely disabling factors of smart guns are: 1) loss of battery power, 2) inherent flaws in the technology, or 3) craptastic implementation.

All of which will keep me out of the smart gun camp.

I am curious as to how easily the smart gun 'feature' can be disabled and removed from a gun, though..

 

[kansas45]

Sound's useless to me! Wait a minuet BG, My wepon has to indetify me before I can defend myself! :banghead:

 

[mrmeval]

I think the old and unlamented Blitish owners were heavily invested in the not-so-smart gun and in non-lethal weapons. It was the NextBigThing at that time.

I'm hoping they took their pablum with them.