New Jersey Tells of Progress in Developing a `Smart Gun'

The New York Times ^ | January 7, 2004 | RONALD SMOTHERS

[Gritty]

NEWARK, Jan. 6 — State researchers on Tuesday unveiled their work so far on developing a childproof "smart gun," while members of the state's Congressional delegation said they would seek federal research grants to help advance the technology, which is intended to revolutionize gun safety.

(Snip)

... the current model of the handgun they have developed has 16 sensors built into the handle, which holds not a bullet clip, but electronics. The automatic handgun that they are developing uses electronically fired ammunition that is stored in the weapon's barrel rather than in the handle.

(Snip)

One key feature of the technology is that once a grip pattern is programmed into the battery-operated weapon, it activates the handgun only for the three-tenths of a second it takes to pull the trigger. Before and after that, the gun will not fire. Mr. Recce pointed out that other smart-gun technology that uses an owner's fingerprint actually turns the weapon on for up to three minutes when the print registers, thereby allowing anyone to fire it in that time period before it automatically turns off.

(Snip)

[Gritty]

Excerpted, as this is a NYSlimes article. Make sure you read the entire article, as there is more information than in a couple of related articles. It can also be accessed from HERE

[Semper Paratus]

it activates the handgun only for the three-tenths of a second it takes to pull the trigger.

Not good enough. Will require a voice recording by the Surgeon General about the danger of guns before firing.

[ShadowDancer]

That state has become about as worthless as it can get. Well, at least they still grow decent tomatoes.

[ItsOurTimeNow]

which holds not a bullet clip

What the hell is a "bullet clip"? lol...dumba$$es.... it activates the handgun only for the three-tenths of a second it takes to pull the trigger.

"Hello...OnStar? I need you to activate my gun for me, someone's breaking into my house!"

(automated attendant) "Please hold...for our next available operator. Your call is very important to us..."

[B4Ranch]

A "smart gun" is one that will determine if you are being attacked and then shoot the attacker between the eyes without any assistance from the person carrying it.

Scan the whole page for good reading!
Conservative Debate Handbook

[Puppage]

Smart gun, dumb state.

Now, if you'll excuse me I have to get into my transporter & get to work.

[Piquaboy]

Now, if only they could develope safer bullets.

[Little Ray]

Hey, this is a Metalstorm firearm!

[INSENSITIVE GUY]

They might develop it but only an idiot would buy it!THE MORE TECH,THE MORE TO GO WRONG!This is a (pc)gun and will only drive up costs.

[Indrid Cold]

Let them issue smart guns to cops, if they're so wonderful. We'll see what the cops have to say about 'em.

[Alberta's Child]

If there's any state that need a "smart gun" law, it's New Jersey. I saw some news clips last night of drivers on the New Jersey Turnpike yesterday -- the first day they opened the new "Express EZ-Pass" lanes. I swear, the people of this state are dumber than bags of rocks. Motorists without EZ-Pass tags coming to a complete stop in the 55-mph lanes, and backing up to change to a cash toll lane.

[Only1choice____Freedom]

How will smart guns defend us aginst dumb people?

[Gritty]

Let them issue smart guns to cops, if they're so wonderful.

They know what a turkey this law is and what they are trying to do with it.

The NJ Law specifically exempts the police from having to use these "smart" guns. You don't think they are stupid enough to have their lives depend on these gadgets, do you?

[IGOTMINE]

Exactly. I'll consider buying one of these the day the presidential security detail is exclusively armed with them.

Until then it is a customized Colt 1911 that will ride behind my hip.

[jim35]

"...Mr. Recce added that trials with the weapon so far at Picatinny Arsenal had shown that in live firing, the weapon, once programmed for a particular user, was not affected by sweat on the user's hands, the user's stress level, movement or gloves..."

How about if you're having a bad arthritis day? Or if you lost a finger? Or if you're wife needed to use it? Oh, hell, the list just goes on and on. I say we donate them to Al-Quaida (how the hell do you spell that, anyway?) and the PLO, batteries not included.

[Ancesthntr]

The key to the worth of "smart guns" and the law that mandates them is the fact that the police are exempt. That flushes the worth of the whole concept down the toilet - where it belongs.

The project is being pursued for one reason, and one reason only: as soon as a workable "smart gun" is developed, no NJ civilian will be able to buy a "dumb gun"...i.e. there will effectively be handgun prohibition. I'd bet that any smart gun produced for public consumption will cost several thousand dollars and be riddled with reliability problems, and that supplies will be very limited due to "production problems."

[Beelzebubba]

Bang

[basil]

ping

[Gritty]

The project is being pursued for one reason, and one reason only: as soon as a workable "smart gun" is developed, no NJ civilian will be able to buy a "dumb gun"...

It's even "funnier" than that.

All they need to implement the law is for ONE "production model" to reach the shelves in any state and the law takes effect. It has absolutely nothing to do with the contraption working or even being sold. Just "delivered".

This merely is a surrepticious way to permanently ban handguns for "civilians" in NJ. Then, this "model" law will head out to the other hopelessly Liberal states for implementation.

[teeman8r]

maybe i don't want to pull the trigger that soon after i pick it up... perhaps i'd like to aim at my target instead of shooting from the hip...

anyone who buys this will need a 100% reliable cell phone to call 911... there will be more dead zones because of the smart gun technology...

teeman8r

[Gritty]

maybe i don't want to pull the trigger that soon after i pick it up

How long does it take ...

...picking up the gun
...establishing a defensive position
...acquiring the target
...establishing the deadly threat of the target
...assuring background is safe
...making decision to fire
...establishing aimpoint and aim
...squeezing off a round
...squeezing off another round
...assuring target is neutralized
...(repeat above) for a second or third threat
...clearing the area for subsequent actions
...making decision there is no further threat

... does anybody in their right mind think all this can be done in 3/10ths of a second at which time the gun shuts itself off?

Case closed!

[Britton J Wingfield]

I'll buy one a year after the NJPD makes it their standard issue.

[TC Rider]

Sounds like the guys at tech college in NJ bought into the MetalStorm technology.

http://www.metalstorm.com/

So instead of adapting an established handgun system, they have bought into a wholly new handgun technology that has not been used for self defense by anyone or any police or military agency.

The good people of NJ, should insist on all NJPD being armed with these abominations before they are foisted on the public.

[TC Rider]

Current model has 7 shots stored in the barrel. I couldn't find any easy reference on their website on how to affect a reload. I'm guessing it requres a barrel swap.

How expensive is this going to be? I don't want to even think what it would cost to blow a hundred rounds at the range. (right now, Mr. Glock can send 100 9mm rounds downrange for $10.96, courtesy of white boxes from WallyWorld.)

The Metalstorm site also touts the select fire capability of their handgun, 3 shots in 1/500th of a second. Why do I think that capability won't make it into a civilian version.

[Cagey]

This merely is a surrepticious way to permanently ban handguns for "civilians" in NJ.

And it will put almost every gun dealer out of business as the law will require dealers to sell no guns but those equipped with this "smart gun" technology. Dealers will not even be allowed to take in older guns as trade-ins.

Another law that will be passing shortly in NJ is one saying no guns capable of firing a .50 calibre or larger bullet may be sold in NJ. This state is doomed, even if the RINO's come back in a majority.

[neverdem]

The NY Times does not have to be excerpted.

I think you might be confusing it with the Los Angeles Times, which does require excerpting, along with the Washington Post, Newsweek and the Chicago-Tribune, IIRC. I have posted whole stories from the Slimes for months.

[Gritty]

Thanks. I thought the NYT was included. You're right.

here is the whole article, for achive...

New Jersey Tells of Progress in Developing a `Smart Gun'

By RONALD SMOTHERS

Published: January 7, 2004

EWARK, Jan. 6 — State researchers on Tuesday unveiled their work so far on developing a childproof "smart gun," while members of the state's Congressional delegation said they would seek federal research grants to help advance the technology, which is intended to revolutionize gun safety.

Engineers and scientists at the New Jersey Institute of Technology here said they were "about two years away" from perfecting their "dynamic grip technology," a newly developed method that electronically stores and recognizes the grip pattern and pressure of a gun's owner and prevents the gun from being fired by anyone else. The technology, on view at a news conference on Tuesday, grows out of scientists' belief that grip and pressure patterns are unique to individuals and do not vary under conditions of stress.

The state's two United States senators, Frank R. Lautenberg and Jon S. Corzine, and Robert Menendez, a key Democratic member of the House of Representatives, also announced that they would seek more than $1 million in the evolving $817 billion Omnibus Spending Bill in Congress to move the research to the next phase. That includes further enhancement of the grip and pressure electronics, broader scientific evaluation of the technology, and field testing of a prototype that could be easily manufactured and marketed.

But at the same time, Senator Lautenberg and the other lawmakers, who have all been strong gun control and regulation advocates over the years, said the work faced fierce opposition. "I hope and pray that we can get this done," Senator Lautenberg said. "We're just going to work hard on it."

New Jersey took the lead in gun control and regulation legislation in 2002 when it became the first state to approve a requirement that all guns sold in the state be childproof "smart guns" three years after perfection of the technology. But in the years before that, the Legislature had appropriated money for the New Jersey Institute of Technology to look at the options for such personalized weapon technology. Bryan Miller, executive director of Ceasefire New Jersey, an advocacy group for stronger gun control, said the $1.5 million in state research money was approved by the Legislature in 1999 after it defeated smart-gun legislation.

"They thought this smart-gun technology was science fiction," said Mr. Miller, adding that most opponents of the technology thought it would get bogged down in the research process.

Many of the opponents of New Jersey's law, like the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the representative of more than 2,000 gun makers and dealers, continue to suspect that such measures are barriers to gun ownership and are riddled with mechanical flaws that make them unreliable and dangerous to gun owners. Gary Mehalik, a spokesman for the foundation, repeated those concerns when asked about the latest effort to develop the technology.

"Relying on mechanical devices rather than a safe operator just means that you are going to have more problems," he said.

Michael Recce, a professor in Informations Systems at the Newark-based engineering school, who holds the key patents in the dynamic-grip technology, said that the current model of the handgun they have developed has 16 sensors built into the handle, which holds not a bullet clip, but electronics. The automatic handgun that they are developing uses electronically fired ammunition that is stored in the weapon's barrel rather than in the handle.

One key feature of the technology is that once a grip pattern is programmed into the battery-operated weapon, it activates the handgun only for the three-tenths of a second it takes to pull the trigger. Before and after that, the gun will not fire. Mr. Recce pointed out that other smart-gun technology that uses an owner's fingerprint actually turns the weapon on for up to three minutes when the print registers, thereby allowing anyone to fire it in that time period before it automatically turns off.

Mr. Recce added that trials with the weapon so far at Picatinny Arsenal had shown that in live firing, the weapon, once programmed for a particular user, was not affected by sweat on the user's hands, the user's stress level, movement or gloves.