6 May 14
âSmartâ Guns?
This morning, I saw a news report on so-called âsmartâ pistols. It seems NJ and CA (what a surprise?) are currently considering legislation requiring this ânewâ technology on all sales of new pistols.
Of course, the reporter, who obviously knows nothing about guns (another surprise!), didnât even know enough to ask relevant questions. She just drooled over the sample gun and handed the microphone over to a local retailer who recited several lines from the manufacturerâs own promotional material. They call this sewage âjournalism!â
The Armatix Pistol, manufactured in Germany, is designed to be used in conjunction with a wireless activation system camouflaged as a wristwatch, worn on the wrist of the hand that is holding the gun. When held in any other hand, the gun will not fire.
Sound like a good idea?
Think again!
Here are the questions that should have been asked, but werenât:
This pistol is currently available only in 22LR caliber. In a serious caliber, with serious recoil, will the electronics still work reliably? Owners will be wagering their lives on it!
How do the electronics work (and the batteries), in the gun itself and in the wristwatch, at twenty degrees below zero? Any serious gun that doesnât work within the broad range of temperatures likely to be encountered in the real world is of no interest to me, nor any other sane person!
Can the wireless electronics involved be: (1) jammed, (2) interfered with, (3) countermanded? Once again, inquiring minds want to know, and the question has yet to be asked, much less, answered!
Do I have to wear a separate âactivating watchâ on each of my wrists, just in case Iâm forced shoot with my support-side hand? Does every adult in my family have to similarly wear a separate âactivating watchâ on both hands, all the time, day or night?
The ensemble (gun and watch) is running in excess of 2k, with only one watch, and is available from only one vendor. What do I do when any of its components break, or batteries go dead? Am I defenseless from that moment forward? Are any local armorers able to fix it?
Starry-eyed engineers and who design and market these ridiculous gimmicks donât even own a gun, much less carry one! For one, I resent them putting such a cheap price on my life, and I resent even deeper leftist politicians who want to mandate this dangerous trash!
Billions have been spent on âsmart-gun technologyâ over the past few decades. The foregoing is just the latest of countless attempts to make a gun âonly I can shoot.â The entire concept is fatally flawed, and to date, no technology has emerged that is even remotely eligible for serious consideration. The Armitix Pistol is certainly no exception!
Anybody who thinks he wants one, probably deserves one!
/John
