Smart Guns / Foolish Legislators

Independence Institute ^ | 2001 | C.Leonardatos, P.Blackman, D.Kopel

[Bob Mc]

SMART GUNS/FOOLISH LEGISLATORS:

FINDING THE RIGHT PUBLIC SAFETY LAWS, AND AVOIDING THE WRONG ONES

Cynthia Leonardatos [FNa1]

Paul H. Blackman [FNaa1]

David B. Kopel [FNaaa1]

34 Conn. L. Rev. 157

Copyright © 2001 by Connecticut Law Review; Cynthia Leonardatos, Paul H. Blackman, David B. Kopel

Table of Contents

I. Introduction

II. Child Proofing Guns: Locks and Gun Storage Requirements
    A. Types of Locking and Storage Devices
1. Trigger Locks
2. Cable Locks
3. Internally Installed Combination Locks
4. Hammer Locking Devices
5. Magazine Disconnects
6. Gun Lock Boxes and Gun Safes
B. Policy Issues
1. Resistant to Small Children, But not "Childproof
2. Interference with Self-Defense
C. Governmental Approaches Regarding Childproofing-and the Slippery Slope to Home Inspections
1. Gun Lock Giveaways
2. Mandated Sales of Gun Locks
3. Mandatory Use of Gun Locks
4. Gun Owner Resistance and Government Reaction
III. THE PERSONALIZATION OF FIREARMS
A. Personalization Devices
1. Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID)">
2. Remote Control
3. Bar Codes or Magnetic Strips
4. Touch Memory
5. Biometric Technologies
6. Magnetic Coding
7. Mechanical Locks
8. Electronic Locks
B. The Scientific Evaluation of "Smart Gun" Technologies>
1. The Purpose of the Sandia National Laboratory Study
2. Implications of the Sandia Laboratories Study
3. The Cost of Personalized Guns
C. Reliability as The Key
D. Chip Twigglies

IV. Policy Issues
A. Some Consumers Are Ready to Buy Personalized Guns
B. Many Consumers Will Never Be Ready
C. Executive Branch Mandates
D. Legislative Mandates
1. Law Enforcement Resistance
2. The Absence of Actual Products
3. Can Consumer Resistance Be "Readily Deactivated"
4. Unintended Consequences

V. SURVEYS AND PUBLIC OPINION

VI. MORE "SMART" GUNS, LESS GUN SAFETY
A. The Violence Policy Center Critique
B. The Safety Training Critique

VII. CONCLUSION

Endnotes

 

[Atlas Sneezed]

Bang

[Joe Brower]

One long read, but one helluva resource. Great find!

[jmc813]

Joe, just wanted to thank you for all of the pings over the last few days. They have made keeping up with all of the Senate shenanigans a lot easier. I've maintained ping lists, and I know how much of a pain they can be. Thanks again.

[Joe Brower]

Thanks for the kind words. In the words of a Taekwando teacher of mine, "I expend no effort -- I merely do". We knew things were going to get busy when these pro-gun bills finally hit the Senate floor. Compared to the sacrifices made by so many for our freedoms, what I do is as nothing.

Stay safe,

[Dead Corpse]

Text of the Boxer Amendment.

[punster]

An interesting observation that applies to smart guns:

"To err is human, but to really screw things up, you need a computer."

[Dead Corpse]

Link expires after a while. Dan from Michigan posted the applicable test over here.

[from occupied ga]

SMART GUNS/FOOLISH LEGISLATORS:

If you make the assumption that gun laws are driven by a desire to render the populace helpless rather than protect them from crime, then all of these make perfect sense. So in that regard, you can't consider the legislators foolish, because they know exactly what they're doing. Does anyone really think that fat Teddy wants to make us safer? If you make the assumption that most legislators are capable of reading history, then they know that tyranny always depends on gun control. This makes anti-gun legislators evil rather than foolish.

[Blood of Tyrants]

One issue they either tdidn't think of or purposefully avoided is that if a device is dependent on a radio frequency or magnetic code to operate, then that radio frequency can DELIBERATELY be blocked (and just WHO has extensive radio jamming capabilities?), thus rendering the device inoperative.

[Bob Mc]

Yes indeed, it truly is evil.

[CHICAGOFARMER]

This is the latest from NRA stratergy.

Information posted by NRA at 9:27am Chicagotime Friday 2.27.04 to my email.


Well you gun owners may want to hold your horses as this plays out.

Here is the latest read from NRA. I received it at 9:45am chicagotime.




On Wednesday morning, the U.S. Senate began to debate S. 1805—the "Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act" (formerly referenced as S. 659/S. 1806.) A bi-partisan 75-22 vote allowed debate to proceed, lifting the threat of a filibuster.

The debate continued late into the evening with no substantive movement on the bill and no additional votes were taken. Senators did, however, reach a "Unanimous Consent Agreement" spelling out specific amendments that would be permitted to be offered during the debate in anticipation of a final vote on the underlying measure next Tuesday.

On Thursday, the Senate reconvened and first considered was an amendment by anti-gun Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) that would require all handguns be sold with a mechanical safety device approved by the Consumer Product Safety Commission(CPSC). This amendment was then replaced with a "second degree" amendment by Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI). The Kohl amendment is much less restrictive and also provides liability protection for gun owners. The revised amendment passed 70-27.

The Senate next debated an amendment by Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-CO) which would permit current and retired law enforcement officers to carry concealed firearms off duty in other states. Arguing hysterically against the amendment, anti-gun Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) revealed his deep distrust of gun carrying even by sworn police officers. A vote on the Campbell amendment was deferred until Tuesday.

Sen. Kennedy then introduced an amendment to ban the manufacture and sale of "armor-piercing" ammunition. Kennedy, who actually condemned the .30-30 Winchester cartridge during debate, wants to institute a "performance-based" standard that would grant any future Attorney General sweeping authority to ban any center-fire ammunition, including most common-place rifle hunting ammunition. The standard proposed by Sen. Kennedy was rejected in the 1980s as overly broad and unnecessary to meet any threat posed to law enforcement officers` safety. A vote on this NRA-opposed amendment will take place Tuesday.

The Senate next debated and voted upon two amendments seeking to gut S. 1805. The first related to the D.C. sniper case, but the proposal by Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) was defeated, 56-40. A "law enforcement" exemption offered by Sen. John Corzine (D-NJ) was soundly defeated, 56 to 38.

NRA strongly opposed both amendments. One of the strengths of S. 1805 is that it adopts the same rules for all plaintiffs, no matter how sympathetic or unsympathetic, and no matter how notorious or mundane their victimization. Plaintiffs` rights should depend on settled principles of law, not on emotion or sympathy.

NRA-ILA stands totally committed to enacting S. 1805 without anti-gun amendments, and will continue to vigorously oppose any reauthorization of the 1994 Clinton gun ban and any attempt to ban gun shows.

Please continue to contact your U.S. Senators at (202) 224-3121 and urge them to support S. 1805 without any anti-gun amendments. Call ILA`s Grassroots staff at (800) 392-8683, or visit http://www.nraila.org/stoprecklesslawsuits.aspx for additional information and to utilize the "Write Your Representatives" feature to contact your U.S. Senators.

This post is to provide information to the histeria that is running rapid on the internet.

I do not support NRA, nor am I a friend of NRA. However, U suggest that you don't have all the information.

[elbucko]

Compared to the sacrifices made by so many for our freedoms, what I do is as nothing.

Nevertheless, what you "merely do" is greatly appreciated.

[blackie]

The Second Amendment...
America's Original Homeland Security!

We are winning ~ the bad guys are losing ~ trolls, terrorists and the democrats are sad ~ very sad!

~~ Bush/Cheney 2004 ~~

[Donaeus]

Compared to the sacrifices made by so many for our freedoms, what I do is as nothing.

Nevertheless, what you "merely do" is greatly appreciated.

I'll give a hearty 2nd to that!

[Donaeus]

Nevertheless, what you "merely do" is greatly appreciated.

I'll give a hearty 2nd to that!