The Biofire smart gun is expected to hit the market in 2024. Some believe that when it does, it could significantly help curb the gun crisis we’re facing in this country. One of the main advantages of Biofire’s smart guns is that they can dramatically reduce accidental shootings at home. Last year, the New England Journal of Medicine report revealed that firearm-related accidents, homicides, and suicides are the primary cause of death for children and teenagers in the US.
In addition, smart guns can also help reduce gun theft. Traditional guns can be stolen and easily sold on the black market, contributing to crime and gun violence. However, smart guns that require biometric or electronic authentication are much harder to steal and use illegally by criminals.
Smart guns can also help reduce the use of firearms by criminals. Since smart guns can only be fired by authorized users, they can prevent criminals from using stolen firearms to commit crimes. This can make it harder for criminals to obtain firearms and reduce gun violence in our communities.
Credit: Biofire
How does the new smart gun work?
This new $1499 smart gun just hit the market for pre-order. The Biofire 9MM handgun has a fingerprint unlocking system, which basically means that anyone who is not “authorized” cannot shoot the gun. The smart firearm is equipped with technology that requires the owner to register their fingerprint on the gun, allowing only the authorized user to unlock it. This will prevent children or anyone else who is not the gun owner from using the weapon.
The fingerprint lock system can unlock with the owner’s fingerprint in under a second, using either a fingerprint or facial recognition sensor. It then quickly locks again when it’s no longer being used. You can pre-order it with a refundable $149 deposit, and orders are expected to be completed early next year.
I tested out a similar smart gun back in 2015, and the iGun technology was pretty impressive. It uses a paired ring to unlock the firearm. Only the person wearing the special iGun ring can fire the gun.
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Who made the smart gun?
The idea for the smart gun came from Kai Kloepfer, the CEO of Colorado-based gun-making firm Biofire. Kloepfer was inspired to make a gun with this level of safety when the shooting at the Century 16 movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, happened back in 2012. At a screening of the film The Dark Knight Rises, 12 people were killed by a mass shooter. Kloepfer was in high school at the time and lived close to where the shooting happened. This tragedy inspired him to submit his idea to a local science fair the following year, and he then founded Biofire in 2016.
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How will this affect mass shootings in America?
It is unlikely that this smart gun alone will effectively prevent mass shootings in America since it can still be obtained by anyone who wishes to use it for harm. However, this new smart gun’s locking mechanism could have stopped school shooters, such as Adam Lanza, who used his mother’s firearm to murder 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012.
According to a medical journal article published in the JAMA Network in 2021, over 40% of American children claimed they could access their parents’ “secured” guns within two hours in a recent survey.
Nonetheless, this technology can benefit responsible gun owners by increasing safety and reducing the likelihood of tragic accidents, especially with young children who may not understand the dangers of firearms.
Credit: Biofire
Bottomline
The introduction of this new smart gun by Biofire could offer a solution to some of the issues surrounding firearm safety and gun violence. Its fingerprint and facial recognition sensor can absolutely help reduce accidental shootings, gun theft, and the use of firearms by criminals. While this new technology may not solve the issue of mass shootings, it can still benefit responsible gun owners and increase safety for everyone especially at home with kids.
What are your thoughts on Biofire’s new smart gun? We want to hear from you.
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