Technology and Gun Control
By Albert B. Kelly
As anyone who reads this
column on a regular basis knows, I’ve dedicated quite a few column inches over
the past couple of years to the issue of violence; specifically gun violence
and what might be done to stop it. Like every community, we’re always just a
gunshot away from the next headline-the next tragedy- and any quiet stretch
between headlines is simply the “intermission” between the last incident and
the next. Just ask the residents of Millville, who helped police apprehend a
suspect in the murders of Delshawn Harris and Pablo Caban
Added to this sense of
holding ones breath; are the many layers to the issue of gun violence. On the
local level, there’s the victim and the victim’s family, the accused and that
family, a worried and frustrated community, and the official response. All this
happens at street level but it’s not the whole story. On the state and national
levels we have mounting statistics and the arguments between gun control
advocates and a gun lobby worried about any tightening of the second amendment.
But every now and then
something comes along that could be a real game changer; both on the local
level where we live and on the state and national levels where all the shouting
happens. I’m referring to the recent development of “smart guns”. By smart
guns, I’m talking about a handgun developed by the German gun manufacturer
Armatix.
In a nutshell, it’s a
handgun that will only shoot when it’s in close proximity (10 inches) to a
wrist-watch type sensor worn by the registered owner-user. What that means is
that anyone stealing the gun would have to have the wristwatch sensor and the
right code or PIN number to activate the gun and that would mean less criminal-types like the Millville
shooter, doing crime with stolen weapons, if that should turn out to be the
case. It would also mean less crimes of passion and fewer kids accidentally
shooting themselves or someone else.
I imagine it would also mean
a lot more possibilities for tracking these weapons and connecting guns to
their owners…and shooters. Between this technology and any future technology
that might use palm print activation for weapons, we might see a lot less
gun-related violence or guns in the hands of madmen.
At the same time, I would
think those worried about the second amendment and gun control might be able to
relax a little because instead of trying to ban or eliminate guns, this new
technology would simply personalize each weapon so responsible gun owners could
possess the weapons (responsibly) while the bad guys wouldn’t be able to remain
anonymous shooters or use “untraceable guns”…because they wouldn’t fire.
You would think using this
technology would be a “no-brainer” but you’d be wrong. Even as Armatix came out
with their new smart-gun, the gun lobby has been fighting to keep them out of
this country. Part of the reason is found in our own New Jersey.
In 2002, the State passed
a law requiring all handguns sold in NJ to have smart-gun technology within 3
years after it was on the market. The gun lobby opposes the smart-gun in any
form because once it is sold and “on the market”, the clock starts ticking but
if they keep the smart gun off the market, they can delay the technology
indefinitely.
That being the case, I’m
hoping one NJ Legislator, perhaps even our own district representatives, might
introduce legislation to eliminate or somehow amend the 2002 provision as a
first step in getting smart-guns (and related technology) on the market.
There has to be a balance
between complete gun control and no gun control; just as we should find a
balance in our national debate between screaming and silence and I think
technology might give us a shot at finding that balance. Quite frankly, from
where I sit right now, the national debate is of less concern to me than what’s
real on our streets and in our neighborhoods because that’s where all the
livin-n-die’n happens.
I could be all wrong about
what technology can deliver, but as a mayor of a small city where I’ve grieved
with victim’s families and watched others marched off to prison; when it comes
to the issue of gun violence at least, I think we have an obligation to go
where the technology might lead us.