(December 15, 2014 at 1:34 pm)Chas Wrote:(December 15, 2014 at 1:24 pm)Parkers Tan Wrote: The NRA's objection to smart guns is stupid in the extreme.
Doesn't seem stupid to me.
NRA Wrote:"Smart Guns" is a made-up term for a conceptual firearm that incorporates technology that theoretically permits the gun to be fired only by the authorized user. Failed attempts to develop and market "smart guns" have been going on for years.
NRA does not oppose new technological developments in firearms; however, we are opposed to government mandates that require the use of expensive, unreliable features, such as grips that would read your fingerprints before the gun will fire. And NRA recognizes that the "smart guns" issue clearly has the potential to mesh with the anti-gunner's agenda, opening the door to a ban on all guns that do not possess the government-required technology.
It strikes me as stupid. If I were the NRA, I'd be donating funds to R&D so that smart-gun features are no longer "unreliable", but that rather, they work every time -- or as close as possible. Every mass-shooting that occurs only fuels the drive to ban guns. Refusing to compromise in the face of what is clearly the illegal use of weapons -- refusing to attempt to address the perfectly legitimate concerns of citizens regarding the illegal use of firearms -- will be counterproductive to the NRA's aims.
I think the public has a reasonable interest in knowing that a gun-owner has been vetted for mental health issues, and a reasonable interest in insuring that those who haven't passed a background check cannot wield a live firearm.
