America’s gun owners can expect the calls for government to dictate so-called “smart guns” to ratchet up now that one company has delivered its first production guns to consumers.
Biofire Group announced this week that it had shipped its first “Smart Guns,” which the company called a “key milestone.”
“The Smart Guns shipped today are the culmination of years of incredible effort and problem solving by the Biofire team,” Kai Kloepfer, founder and CEO of Biofire, said in a press release. “This accomplishment marks a realization of a dream that many believed to be impossible, a firearm that is instantly accessible to the owner while remaining secure from unauthorized use: the world’s first and only biometric firearm on the market.”
Biofire says the Smart Gun, chambered in 9mm, locks the moment it leaves the user’s hand and cannot be fired unless an authorized user picks it back up. According to the company’s website: “Biofire’s proprietary Guardian Biometric Engine uses integrated fingerprint and 3D facial recognition systems to verify your identity in any situation. Instantly unlock your firearm just by picking it up—no codes, buttons, or gadgets required.”
The striker-fired semi-auto pistol utilizes a rechargeable lithium battery to run the electronic components. With a 4.7-inch barrel and 8.7-inch overall length, the gun is somewhat of a boat anchor, weighing in at 2.6 pounds unloaded. It has a capacity of 10+1 or 15+1 of 9mm rounds.
The grip material is glass-filled nylon, and the barrel is made of stainless steel. Along with a rear notch and reciprocating blade front sight, it also has a fully integrated laser sight.
One of the main problems with such technology, aside from the fact that “smart guns” made so far haven’t functioned adequately, is the fact that some in government will soon want to dictate that only such “smart guns” should be sold for safety’s sake. Don’t be surprised to see such legislation coming down the pike soon with Biofire’s recent announcement.
Call me skeptical, but until I can get one of these guns in my hand and give it a good test, I’ll stick with my trusty conventional firearms. And the chances of doing that anytime soon is somewhat slim, since the launch edition is already sold out and the next batch is not set to deliver to consumers until early 2025.
The Smart Gun is available for order now, however, at a price of $1,499. A refundable $149 deposit can get you in line to own one when the next batch is ready to distribute.
However, as Lee Williams of the Second Amendment Foundation’s Investigative Journalism Project reported here last April, independent testing is not being allowed by the company.
“What you can’t do is shoot the thing before you plunk down your money, nor can nearly anyone else,” Williams wrote. “Biofire is not allowing independent reviews of its new smart gun, at least not anytime soon.”
Read the full article here
