A new ‘smart’ gun hit the market in the U.S. for the first time. It’s the first of a high-tech wave of guns that are made to recognize the person shooting them and only work when they’re activated.
But local gun sellers say they’re concerned that it might not work when it’s needed most.
“We don’t want it, it’s not going to sell here in PA,” says Scott Petrasic of Staudt’s Gun Shop in West Hanover Twp., Dauphin County. “It’s a $1400 paperweight is what it is.”
It’s a .22 caliber pistol that uses radio-frequency technology. The shooter has to wear a digital watch and unlock the gun with a PIN. If you’re not wearing the watch, you can’t fire the gun. It’s made by a German-based company called Armatix. A Los Angeles-area gun club is now selling it.
Politicians have praised the smart gun concept as a way to keep working guns out of the hands of kids– and criminals.
The NRA said they’re not opposed to smart guns. But, they are opposed to government mandates that would require the use of the personalized locking feature.
New Jersey passed a smart gun law in 2002. It said that when a smart gun was first sold in the U.S., stores in the state would have to sell smart guns exclusively, within three years. It’s not clear how the state will proceed now.