COLUMBUS, Ga. – By the end of the year, a Columbus businessman is hoping to have some gun safety technology in the hands of the public. The CEO of Safe Gun Technology is preparing to sell a retrofit kit which would place a fingerprint scanner on your existing weapon. Columbus law enforcement personnel say this technology could be a game changer. Ben Stahl has been using guns for as long as he can remember. “I’ve pretty much grown up around them. Having the option to distinguish from the shooter, not just that gun being capable of firing but who is able to fire it, I like that benefit a lot,” said Ben Stahl. Here is how the technology works. After you retrofit your gun with the technology, it will only shoot for authorized users. The fingerprint scanner will only work for you and the people you choose.

“By putting this added layer of security, you give the gun owner peace of mind that nobody can use the gun unless he or she authorizes that gun to be used,” said Tom Lynch CEO of Smart Gun Technology. With more than 30,000 gun related crimes nationwide, the Muscogee County Marshal says this technology is vital. “This will have a significant impact because a lot of those weapons that are out there are stolen weapons and they are taken from people’s homes,” said Marshal Greg Countryman.

Countryman says in the future, this technology could reduce the number of weapons related burglaries because thieves will no longer be able to actually fire the guns they steal.

“You can break into a person’s home and take a weapon but when you get the weapon you are not going to be able to utilize that weapon at all,” said Marshal Countryman.

The company has not yet finalized the price on the retrofit kit, but it will probably cost between $300 and $350.