Smart-Guns Still Alive
(Information Edited By MCSM Webmaster)
The Washington Times, 8/17/01, B11 carried a story titled "Gun maker to
install biometric ID system". The opening paragraph reads (hand typed
because I couldn't find the story on their web site):
Smith & Wesson Corp., the largest handgun maker that
was bought by Saf-T-Hammer Corp. in May, will work with
the New Jersey Institute of Technology to try to develop
"authorized-user-only" handguns.
In searching the web for other sources of this story, I ran across the
National Inst. of Justice project described below.
I don't know if this is the funding for the S&W project reported by the
Wash. Times. However, several things are clear.
1) S&W's sale to an American company has had no effect on its course, so I
recommend we continue to boycott their products.
2) The Bush adminstration needs to cancel this project. Even though the project says the weapon designs are for law-enforcement, we all know that the cops reject such solutions and we are the ones being targeted.
Phil
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http://www.nlectc.org/techproj/nij_p30.html
Project Title: Smart Gun Project Description:
The purpose of the National Institute of Justice's Smart Gun operational
area is to reduce significantly the number of officer deaths due to the
officer being disarmed and shot with his or her own weapon. This technology
application could be used to allow public safety officials to carry weapons
in situations in which they have been typically prohibited from doing so,
i.e. jails and correctional facilities.
The need for and applicability of this technology has been aptly described
in an NIJ-funded research document issued by Sandia National Laboratories,
Albuquerque, New Mexico, Smart Gun Technology Project Final Report
(available in Adobe Acrobat format). Sandia identified the law enforcement
requirements for smart firearms technology and then investigated, evaluated,
prioritized, and demonstrated (by proof of concept) the most promising
technologies available.
NIJ is currently funding two companies to do smart gun research.
Status Report: The Development of an Authorized User-Only Handgun - Smith & Wesson
Prior to receipt of its FY2000 award, Smith & Wesson designed and built
electronically fired prototype pistols that include both pin code and
fingerprint user access control. However, the size of the circuit board with
current fingerprint identification technology is too large to fit inside a
handgun, the fingerprint system is contained in a separate module.
Therefore, the engineering analysis and design work required to reconfigure
the original pistol prototypes into a production worthy design is to be
completed with this funding.
The FY2001 grant award from NIJ will allow Smith & Wesson to test the
feasibility and functionality of the following technologies:
Build and test 50 next-generation pin code access control prototypes of
electronic fire handgun; build and test 10 separate fingerprint access control modules. A separate fingerprint module that communicates with an electric fire handgun;
start a redesign of the fire control electronics for miniaturization; and
start research into non-fingerprint biometric technologies that have the
potential for miniaturization to be completely integrated into biometric
access controlled handgun.
The results of this testing would contribute to the design an of integrated
electronic firing, biometrically secure smart gun prototype. Additional
funding will allow Smith & Wesson to complete the work in the last two
bullet items.
Safe Gun Technology - FN Manufacturing, Inc.
This project will provide for further advances in the research and
development of FN's Secure Weapon System engineering model, that employs
embedded microelectronics to render a firearm usable only by authorized law
enforcement personnel. By programming the weapon to meet law enforcement
agency requirements, ultrasonics, computer chip devices, and other emerging
technologies it will be tested and developed to limit the use of the weapon
to approved persons. Initial funding supports a feasibility analysis report,
which documented strengths and weaknesses, assembly of engineering models
for demonstrating functional requirements in conjunction with assisting
police agencies, and verification of design improvements following execution
of a failure mode and effect analysis procedure.
Phase II funding will develop first draft technical specifications based on
Phase I results, and assembly of additional engineering models configured to
these specifications, using input from police and corrections agencies.
Phase III will focus on defining the best technical and operational
specifications, seeking also to investigate the possible use of electrical
primers and hand grip and fingerprint recognition, along with already
embedded technologies. Future funding will be required to produce a final
technical report, the final design, and fully functional prototypes.
Contact: Wendy Howe
Project Manager
National Institute of Justice
Tel: (202)616-9794
E-mail: howew@ojp.usdoj.gov
This Information Is From Phil Lee--MCSM
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