Smart Guns will shoot out the 2nd Amendment
By: Doc Swagg
Technology has figured a clever way to maneuver around gun-rights advocates, and manipulate 2nd Amendment rights. The United States is turning to tech savvy companies to solve the gun control debate.
Diane Feinstein, Michael Bloomberg, and President Obama are among the most vocal proponents for gun control and gun bans in America. Their rivals are the NRA and a vast majority of the Tea Party. The onus of the debate is the threat of violation of 2nd amendment rights of the citizens, and the skeptical possibility of a tyrannical government against a defenseless populace.
The two factions have a legitimate basis for their arguments. We’ve seen how schools, movies, temples, and neighborhoods have been victimized by gun violence. We’ve also seen how Hitler systematically disarmed German citizens as the Nazi party seized control. We’ve also seen how the lack of firepower or equivalent firepower was responsible for the demise of Native Americans, numerous African nations, and served the perpetuation of slavery.
A cyclical trend has been established each time a mass shooting occurs or gun legislation gets proposed. People will act shocked, the news will cover it for a week or so, the nation will mourn, a speech will be made by the President, a day of prayer will be established, gun debates ensue, and then gun and ammo sales go through the roof.
Well a game changer is on its way. Companies have developed various methods to circumvent this redundant dispute. Several companies are making guns with RFID microchips within the gun that track where the gun is at all times. Some companies want to use SIM cards like cellphones so they can monitor location from mobile networks, and they can essentially disable your gun remotely.
A company named, TriggerSmart, has developed a system to regulate assault rifles (the big talk around town in America), where they can “block or unblock the trigger of an assault rifle”. This would be done by messages sent from an aircraft to mobile towers. So this would be like a drone that sends a “kill switch” message to a tower to disable all assault rifle triggers in a specific area or specific individual. Currently the company can “retrofit” older rifles or build it into new ones for $150.
There are other strategies. Designers have developed wristwatches and rings that are embedded with RFID chips that only fire when they match signals encoded within the gun. The gun also goes into automatic safety lock when the gun is more than 40 centimeters away from the ring or watch. I think this is good to reduce crimes committed with stolen guns, and decrease accidental deaths from kids playing with guns.
Kodiak Industries has also developed a gun that unlocks for firing when the owner’s fingerprint is verified on the gun. Kodiak is not alone, they are also competing with a company in Georgia called, Safe Gun Technology. You also have a company named, Biomac Systems in California that has thrown their hat in the ring. These companies are also retrofitting guns that were manufactured prior to this new technology.
Some of the advances propose surgically implanting RFID chips into gun owners so they don’t have to worry about theft or loss of a ring or watch. The batteries inside many of these new guns last about 8 years for now, but like any technology, it will be improved upon.
My thoughts
I think that this was a very, very, very, clever way to work around the 2nd amendment, because in essence you can have your AR-15 and AK-47 in your physical possession. You can bear your arms, but in reality you can be disarmed without having your gun physically confiscated. That is not discussed in the constitution, and this is the tightrope that technology plays on. This creates an altered scenario outside the verbiage of constitutional interpretation and application.
I think this technology is very creative and innovative. I do think that it will save many lives. Imagine how many lives could be saved if there was a kill switch in our neighborhoods, schools, movie theaters, and places of worship.
However, the argument will still resurface. The question really is, “do I have the right to defend myself with sufficient weaponry to combat any and all threats to my person, belongings and family without interference by government?”
Would America be America today if it lacked the access to firepower to combat the authoritarian rule of the British Empire? What guarantees that we won’t head toward authoritarian rule?
Lastly, did you know that New Jersey passed a gun law in 2002 that mandates that all guns within the state be Smart Guns or retrofitted once the technology has been approved and okay’d for sale? This means they’ve been studying this for over a decade, and we are at that point now.
I don’t know what to think, this is a big toss-up. What are your thoughts on this?
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