Ready, Aim, ID Check: In Wrong Hands, Gun Won't Fire

[Justin]

On 2005-01-11T10:07:22-0500, Trei, Peter wrote:
> Justin wrote:
> >
> > I don't believe the article when it says that smart guns are useless
> > if stolen.  What do they have, a tamper-proof memory chip storing a
> > 128-bit reprogramming authorization key that must be input via
> > computer before allowing a new person to be authorized?  And what's
> > to stop a criminal from ripping out all the circuitry and the safety
> > it engages?
>
> The 'stolen gun' problems most of the so-called 'smart gun' proposals
> are trying to address are the situation when a cop's own gun is taken
> from him and immediately used against him, or a kid finding one in a
> drawer. A determined and resourceful person can, given time, defeat
> them all.

from the article:
"Guns taken from a home during a robbery would be rendered useless, too."


The South African Smart gun...
> http://www.wmsa.net/other/thumb_gun.htm

Totally useless.  Failure modes and various other complaints:

-cannot connect to cellular network
-cannot receive GPS signal
-out of batteries
-laser diode craps out
-fingerprint scanner takes more than 0 time to use.
-ammunition is more expensive
-"window" in ammunition can be dirty or fogged, causing failure
-any sort of case failure will probably destroy the electronics
-will never be as small as subcompact firearms
-if smartcard is stolen, gun won't fire (other "smart guns" use rings)
-all the electronic tracing capability requires gun/ammo registration

I'd almost rather have a taser.

What assurance do I have that the circuitry won't malfunction and fire
when I don't want it to?  What if a HERF gun can not only render the gun
useless, but make it fire as well?

--
"War is the father and king of all, and some he shows as gods, others as men;
some he makes slaves, others free." -Heraclitus 53