The NRA and the gun lobby think that we need more weapons to solve the affliction of mass shootings that plague our society. I think that we need smarter guns.
Technology is the answer. It's time we insist, in the interest of public safety, that gun manufacturers make their products safer. All firearms should at least have a key switch. The safety could be simply mechanical, locked or unlocked with an ordinary key. But imagine the possibilites with a smarter gun.
Try to picture a gleaming new smart gun, with an LCD interface in the handgrip. Yes, this means the safer, smarter gun has an onboard computer and a battery in the safety circuit. The firing mechanism could then be locked by default by this electronic safety. With the correct passcode keyed in, the on-board computer would give an "all clear" signal to energize a solenoid coil. The coil would pull in an interlocking safety pin and allow operation of the firearm.
Every car, house, apartment and business has a lock. Passcodes are found on bank accounts, e-mail, on line accounts and industrial machinery. Why should every gun be unguarded and wide open to any homicidal, suicidal person or criminal with an index finger?
The technology exists to make such a weapon. Tamper-proof safety mechanisms are already used in many places. It would need to be made with industrial stoutness to withstand the concussion of the weapon. The electronics could be housed in an epoxy sealed “puck” used in brutal industrial conditions for measuring and monitoring systems. With today’s micro-electronics, a ton of computing power can be housed in a tiny package.
There is much for the responsible gun owner to like about a code-protected gun. It’s his gun and only he can use it. He would not need to keep the weapon in a safe to protect the rest of his family. He just has to remember a short code in order to use the firearm. After entering the code the gun would remain ready to fire for a time selectable by the owner, perhaps up to eight hours. If he or she is hunting for eight hours they can set the safety to hold off for that long.
With computer monitoring of the weapon, there could be additional features built in that could aid the gun owner. For example, the gun could have a temperature sensor built into the barrel and the computer could shut down the firearm before overheating damages the barrel. Useful information about the firing characteristics or a record of discharges of the weapon could be downloaded via USB to a computer and put to good use.
For law enforcement, in the event of a crime committed with the weapon, there would be a time stamp in the on-board computer of the exact time of discharge. This could assist in the investigation of the crime. With a further application of technology, the location of the discharge could also be recorded by a built- in GPS. This could have major importance in a criminal investigation. A GPS also might be useful for a hunter, say, trying to find the exact place where he fired the weapon in order to hunt there again, or to help locate a wounded animal. Imagination is the only limitation for the features that could be added to a smart firearm.
This brings up another intriguing idea. With all the controversy over assault weapons, perhaps a built-in GPS safety system in assault weapons is the answer. They could then be made with “no-fire” GPS locations programmed in for schools, churches, malls, government buildings or anywhere else where their discharge could cause great bodily harm.
Adding these safety features to guns would require some serious long range central planning. Our leaders would have to work with gun manufacturers to set guidelines and timelines for phasing in these new safety requirements. There's precedent for our leaders in government to regulate the safety of a product. Cars are a good example. Many of the life-saving safety features found in cars today, from seat belts to air bags were mandated by our government.
NRA and passionate gun owners take note: no one will lose a gun here. Let’s fix this problem with some good old-fashioned American ingenuity. We don’t need to ban guns, we need to make them smarter and safer.
