New Bill Requires Retrofitting Guns To Be 'Smarter'

guns.com ^ | Feb. 10, 2021 | Chris Eger

[PROCON]

Dems in Washington are picking up where the Obama administration left off in 2016 on the subject of "smart guns" and mandating their exclusive sale.

Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney joined with a group of anti-gun advocates this week to raise the curtain on proposed legislation that would mandate a fundamental change in firearms technology in America. The New York Democrat's bill would require all new handguns sold in the U.S. to use “personalized” technology within five years and extend its usage to legacy firearms offered for sale within 10 years.

WHAT IS A "SMART GUN?"

Smart guns, typically employing some sort of authorized-user technology like a fingerprint or passcode to unlock a firearm, are not a new concept. Perennially “just a couple years away” for over two decades, few attempts have made it to commercialization. One, the $1,200 German-made Armatix iP1, was introduced in 2014 but failed to make headway on the market. The .22LR pistol, which required an RFID-equipped wristwatch to be able to fire, could allegedly be hacked with a $15 magnet and jammed with radio waves.

This has left a bad taste in the collective mouths of gun owners who are reluctant to trust such unproven technology. A survey published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine in 2019 found that 70 percent of gun owners surveyed would have a concern about whether the tech would work when needed and only 5 percent would be very likely to buy such a firearm if it added significantly to the gun’s price.

WHAT'S IN MALONEY'S BILL?

The new Handgun Trigger Safety Act would require that, within five years of it being signed into law by President Biden, all newly manufactured handguns must be personalized so that they can only be operated by authorized users. Ten years after it became law, anyone selling a handgun must..

[OldGoatCPO]

He bought some of these guns when they were in the $300-$600 range. He has been collecting guns for over 30 years. Right now they are selling at gun shows for $1200-$2000 depending on the type, quality, accessories and where they were made. He does not run a brick and mortar business. With the prices where they are at what is he suppose to do, sell his weapons currently valued at $1500 for $400 because he only paid $350 at the time he bought it. He is a collector he comes across deals all the time. When prices started to bottom out, he had people coming to him to unload stock. He bought some of their stock. Now he is unloading that stock.