In an attempt to promote gun safety, Attorney General Eric Holder told a panel of legislators Friday the Department of Justice wants to “explore” personalization technology that requires gun users to wear bracelets.
Holder made the comments while discussing violence prevention programs within the Department of Justice during a hearing before a House appropriations subcommittee.
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“I think that one of the things that we learned when we were trying to get passed those common-sense reforms last year, Vice President Biden and I had a meeting with a group of technology people, and we talked about how guns can be made more safe by making them either through fingerprint identification, the gun talks to a bracelet or something you might wear, how guns can be used only by the person who is lawfully in possession of the weapon,” Holder said.
“It’s those kinds of things we want to try to explore so that we can make sure that people have the ability to enjoy their Second Amendment rights while at the same time, decreasing the misuse of weapons that lead to the kinds of things that we see on a daily basis,” he continued.
The firearms Holder referred to are sold with a bracelet that communicates with the gun. If a shooter is not wearing the designated bracelet, the gun will not fire, making the firearm only a mere scare tactic.
President Barack Obama’s budget proposal calls for $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2015 to “address violent gun crimes.”
The Department of Justice, specifically, has requested an increase of $382.1 million in spending for “gun safety.” Approximately $2 million would be allocated to “Gun Safety Technology” grants, which challenge the “private sector to develop innovative and cost-effective gun safety technology.” Grants will be awarded to technologies that are “proven to be reliable and effective.”
Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) has already introduced legislation requiring all firearms to be equipped with “personalization technology.” Called the “Handgun Trigger Safety Act,” Markey’s bill calls for guns to be retrofitted with equipment such as fingerprint scanners, which scan a shooter’s fingerprint to ensure only the designated user is operating it.
According to the legislation, all handguns manufactured in the United States within two years of the law’s enactment would be required under law to be personalized. Businesses or individuals selling a handgun would need to add the “smart gun technology” to the gun.
The cost of retrofitting firearms would be covered by a fund implemented and overseen by the Justice Department.
Though new to the market, several gun manufacturers have already developed firearms outfitted with such technology. Armatix GmbH, a German company, unveiled the iP1 Pistol, which only fires if the user is wearing a black, waterproof watch that “makes the gun think.”
If the shooter is wearing the device on his or her wrist, a light on the gun’s grip turns green, allowing the gun to fire.
The pistol is similar to guns Holder is calling on the Department of Justice to explore.
