SMARTGUNZ 9mm pistol. From smartgunz.co
The mainstream media and gun-hating, leftist politicians (but I repeat myself) love to claim that “smart guns” would somehow stop all accidents and keep criminals from abusing firearms. In fact, some smart politicians have even mandated the sale of so-called smart guns. Now, a company called SmartGunz LLC has released a 1911-style 9mm handgun for the low, low price of only $2,495. Deliveries, they say, are planned for sometime in the second quarter of this year.
Until now, the only allegedly smart gun was a .22 pistol by Armatix that went absolutely nowhere. Because who wants to pay $1500 for a no-frills, unreliable .22 pistol that relies on batteries and technology. Because no one has ever had technology fail and an RFID bracelet is foolproof, right?
Now, along comes Kansas-based SmartGunz seeking to change all that. Their website boldly proclaims their noble raison d’etre: “Our sole purpose for launching SmartGunz LLC is to save lives. Full stop.” Well, maybe that and to achieve their fifteen seconds of fame and make enough money to recover their start-up costs.
They made a splash, if you can call it that, with an announcement at this year’s virtual SHOT Show and by launching a rather, well, austere website.
SmartGunz screencap
SmartGunz plays up the unique feature of their product; the requirement that the user wear a…wait for it…fingerless glove to “unlock” the RFID-actuated gun, allowing it to fire.
Because who’s ever lost a glove? And who doesn’t want to wear a fingerless glove 24 hours a day in case you need your home or personal defense gun? Or maybe the idea is, if you’re careful and conscientious, to always keep the glove in close proximity. Maybe you should carry the glove in a pocket, then quickly put it on if you perceive a threat.
The company has a FAQ page which answers what they see as some commonly asked questions.
How does a SmartGunz firearm unlock?
While wearing an RFID enabled glove, the shooter grips the firearm while depressing the activation switch.
How fast does the SmartGunz firearm unlock?
In under 200 milliseconds (less than 1/5 of a second).
How long does a SmartGunz firearm stay unlocked?
As long as the shooter continues to depress the safety activation switch provided the shooter’s RFID-enabled glove is firmly gripping the hand grip.
There’s no word as to whether the glove is ambidextrous or not. Or how long the average user takes to move the glove from their dominant to their off hand in an emergency if, for instance, they have to shoot left-handed for some reason.
I called SmartGunz with some questions of my own at reached their 1980s-technology answering machine. Among the questions I wanted to ask . . .
Do you have any orders yet?
Do you have any dealers yet?
Do you have any inventory yet?
Does the glove only fit an authorized user or does it fit anyone? What if your hand is too large? After all, if it doesn’t fit, the jury must acquit.
Will a poorly fitting glove worn by, say, a petite woman reliably activate the gun in event her bear-pawed husband ordered an extra-large RFID glove?
Furthermore, on the page touting their product to “residential” users, there’s this: “SmartGunz’s 9mm Sentry pistol is a new smart gun option, especially appealing to people intimidated by traditional firearms.” So they want to put a 1911-style pistol in the hands of novice shooters who would be intimidated by smaller, simpler handguns?
Is this even for real? The glove concept and the web site (which looks like it was thrown together by your 13-year-old nephew) resemble something the Babylon Bee might cook up if they wanted to troll gun owners. The Google street view photo of the address for SmartGunz is here.
The bottom line is this: whether or not SmartGunz LLC is for real, if “smart guns” were such a wonderful idea, government agencies would be clamoring for them. Companies like SIG, Ruger, Smith & Wesson and GLOCK would be investing tens of millions in their development. And we’d already have viable models available for retail sale.
Of course then they’d be so popular with the general public that politicians like Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi would be passing legislation to keep them away from the little people. Because guns.