So I'm watching a piece of fine cinematic genius, Shoot 'Em Up, and I see some handguns that have thumbprint scanners that make it so the gun doesn't shoot unless it recognizes a thumb print. Does these actually exist? Just curious...
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So I'm watching a piece of fine cinematic genius, Shoot 'Em Up, and I see some handguns that have thumbprint scanners that make it so the gun doesn't shoot unless it recognizes a thumb print. Does these actually exist? Just curious...
I'm sure it exists, but is cost prohibitive for mass production. The communists in our own government have been trying to force this technology into existence for a few years now.
I don't know that it exits yet, but I have seen articles about engineers experimenting with the idea. And S&W already has locks on their revolvers...one step closer.
This may be an unpopular belief...but I think I may actually like to have this sort of protection on a firearm of mine. I've had one stolen and used in a convenience store shooting before...
I believe Colt had built a prototype of something like this about ten years ago. The problem was the scanner took something like forty seconds to unlock the pistol. Not exactly practical in a defense tool.
There are better locks now, There is a building I frequent that has secure areas and can be opened with a authorized persons thumb print. It works as fast as a typical key card like what hotels use. I dont see why that couldnt be used in a pistol, cost factors set aside.
see that's what i was envisioning. Something that takes just a second to read your thumb but still secure enough to turn a handgun into a club essentially.
What happens when your strong hand is injured and you have to switch to weak hand, the gun will not recognize your thumbprint and the gun is useless. Another scenario, you and wife are out for the evening, your armed she's not. Mugging takes place and you are disabled, knocked unconscious, now she has no way to protect herself. Not to mention you would now have to have a handgun in each nightstand, one for her and one for you.
Nope not in favor of any type of locking devise that disables my gun. Although this is what the anti's push as "child friendly safe" guns.
To answer your question, there are probably several companies working on it now and there may even be a few prototypes floating around but I've never seen anything that remotely indicates that a gun with this technology is close to being a production item.
Like pcon, I think technology like this could be a good thing. Imagine not having to worry about a BG getting your own gun away from you and shooting you with it or not having to worry about your children using one of your guns. But for it to be a viable system it would have to be fast and absolutely reliable under a variety of conditions (sweaty palms, raining, snowing, etc.) and I don't think we're anywhere close to that level of reliability. I also think that for it to work, you may be looking at a change in the firing mechanism of a handgun to something like what was used in the Remington EtronX rifle. I think the bio identification is a good goal, I just think we're a looooong way from seeing it as a reality.
Hoss
What happens when some one steals your gun and thumb?
Please understand that I don't think that this is a good idea, only that it is doable.
next thing u know, u need to use it, and it doesn't shoot because apparently ur wearing a glove or it just 'didnt' workQuote:
Originally Posted by pcon
no way
It might catch on with home owners but I do not think any government agency would buy anything that their people could not use while wearing gloves.
So what you need to do is make something that unlocks based on the coding of the RFID chip that will be implanted in everyones arms...... :tinhat2:
:rofl::rofl::rofl: No kidding there. If things got bad enough that would eventually happen. I'm guessing the BG would keep the thumb in the freezer between convenience store hold-ups? :blink:Quote:
Originally Posted by rocky
Article from 2005 on Smart Guns. "Researchers" purport to have built a proof of concept model. Their video depicts a 16 sensor grip to collect biometric data such as grip, position, etc...to associate with the owner. At the end they do caveat that nothing replaces education. The article predicted 3 years before availability. 2008 has passed, they didn't name any firms by name.
Massad Ayoob wrote an article in 2001 about the Smart Gun where Colt had formed a sub called iColt (now that's an iPOD). They never fielded a working model.
Its a bad idea and is no panacea. In systems where grave bodily harm is in play an availability of at least 99.9999% is required by some systems. Adding widgets of the pedestrian variety will get you killed. Class 6 and up widgets will break the bank. The KISS principle applies to SD handguns. IMHO