Can White House, Tech Startups Overcome Gun Lobby Resistance to ‘Smart Guns’?
Read the full article from The Christian Science Monitor here.
An Armatix employee holds a smart gun manufactured by the company. The gun is implanted with an electronic chip that allows it to be fired only if the shooter is wearing a watch that communicates with it through a radio signal. Credit: Michael Dalder/Reuters
Despite fierce resistance from groups such as the National Rifle Association – and safety and privacy concerns about the technology – many gun owners appear open to technology the Obama administration and many tech entrepreneurs say will reduce firearm deaths.
As an engineer who has worked to ensure the safety of power plants and improve the performance of automotive airbags, Omer Kiyani has been drawn to jobs where he can help save lives.
So after the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting in December 2012 sparked a nationwide debate over gun control and safety, Mr. Kiyani knew his engineering skills could make a difference.
A lifelong gun owner and member of the National Rifle Association (NRA), Kiyani felt that additional gun control wasn’t the answer to curbing firearm violence but that technology could help saving lives.
After Sandy Hook, he said, “I felt that was one time when, as an NRA member, I was painted with the same brush as every gun owner, as a bad person. I felt like I needed to do something.”