HOUSTON – It’s no secret Texans love their guns. Some might even argue it’s unpatriotic to not like guns, but that hasn’t stopped folks from remaining divided on the issue of gun ownership and gun safety.
With the advent of new technology like “smart guns,” the conversation just got a lot more complex. The words alone are enough to raise eyebrows but that’s what a Colorado-based company called Biofire, is calling them.
Recommended Videos
These innovative firearms rely on biometrics - a combination of fingerprint and facial-recognition technology that activates only when an authorized user picks it up and locks itself immediately when the gun is put down. Biofire’s website says this feature is meant to prevent the gun from literally getting into the wrong hands - whoever they might be - so until and unless it is picked up by you or up to five other authorized individuals, it remains locked.
“Your Smart Gun only fires for the people you choose, so your firearm can never cause a tragic outcome in the hands of a child, criminal, or anyone else,” the website says.
SEE ALSO: Crime Stoppers of Houston studying guns on school campuses
Currently, the 9mm smart guns are in the launch phase but are still available for pre-order. Jacob Courtney with Biofire, tells KPRC 2 the future remains unwritten for what happens after the rollout but that’s to ensure the gun meets customer’s standards.
“The technology is kind of the afterthought, but it provides the same level of reliability and consistency as a standard 9mm,” he said. “We want to provide an option for home defense; there’s a lot of reasons where people want that quick access, but also want that safety and security and peace of mind knowing that like the biggest thing is, you set it down, it leaves your hand, it’s instantly locked. And for a lot of people, that’s more important than the actual other side of it firing. But we want to make sure both sides work really well together.”
For legal experts like Maverick Ray, a defense and trial attorney, the mission behind smart guns in and of itself is enough to get him on board.
“Obviously the aim is safety, right? And so as far as liability or a personal injury type situation goes, I expect to see, less incidents where a child or someone who you don’t want, playing around with a gun, ends up with it and ends up harming themselves or someone else, due to a mistake or an accident,” he said. “And then on the flip side, in the criminal law aspect, I think with the new smart guns, we would know that they couldn’t have used or, fired the gun unless they had their face or fingerprint recognized.”
RELATED: See how technology is linking guns used in crimes, helping investigators solve cases
However, because technology can always be disrupted or hacked, folks like George Abrego, a gun expert and co-owner of HTX Tactical Custom Firearms & Outdoors, feel more uneasy about smart guns.
“Anything electronic can and will fail,” he said. “I like my guns mechanical. That’s going to last a lot longer than anything electronic.”
“One of the big reasons why is the whole thing of it being hacked,” Abrego added. “I know the company says the smart guns can’t be hacked, it’s protected and whatnot, but I’m pretty skeptical about that. I really believe that if somebody wants to get in there, they can go in and disable it. Maybe they can track you too, track the gun itself.”
The certainty behind the technology could be called into question. For this reason, KPRC 2 consulted Jeremy Dawson, an engineering professor at West Virginia University and biometrics expert, who says if implemented correctly, there’s no reason smart guns couldn’t be more appealing, but it’s all based on contingency. However, it’s an important reminder that all technological security is never absolute.
“Everything has a weakness,” Dr. Dawson said. “There’s no, silver bullet solution to make things entirely secure. Combining multiple biometrics together increases security. So with a lot of personal electronics that they’ve integrated, face ID with a lot of, passcode-based authentication things now and password and other things - it’s as secure as you can make it, but there are always bad actors out there whose sole purpose is to try to defeat biometric technologies and try to circumvent them.”
Ray echoed this sentiment noting the new technology aside, folks need to be reminded the smart gun is still a deadly weapon and used responsibly.
“It’s not so much about the gun. It’s more so about the user. And then the different laws and regulations that are in effect to control and regulate how that person uses and possesses that firearm,” he explained. “I truly believe that we should have the right to defend ourselves and bear arms. However, I think that we need to make sure that we know how to use a gun. We have proper training with that gun. And it can show, some ability before we’re just given free range.”
SEE ALSO: New TSU, UH poll examines ‘Texas trends’ on gun safety reforms
For regulations to go in place for smart guns, however, causes folks like Abrego to wonder if this will only create a negative domino effect.
“What kind of is in the back of my mind is, when you get these politicians, who start pushing these bills and try to create these laws in the city, who say, ‘hey, all your guns got to be smart guns,’” he explained. “Look at California. I think they said in like 10 years every car has got to be an [Electric Vehicle] and that’s just me; I like my gas-powered cars, but is that what’s coming? Will they use this as a next step?”
RELATED: Biden awards $623 million in grants to build out electric vehicle charging network
This type of advanced technology already exists, however, which is why Ray says it wouldn’t be a second thought for him to try one out himself or encourage his clients to consider a smart gun.
“I would gladly try it! he said. “I understand the technology...so to me, if the gun is working, it’s safe, There’s not any of those kind of computer or robotic glitches or hiccups that are making the gun experience or shooting experience unreliable, I would absolutely look into acquiring one of the guns.”
Another factor that may cause some drawbacks is the hefty price tag of $1,500 - about twice the cost of a traditional firearm. However, both our biometrics expert and the Biofire spokesperson say, it may not be for everyone, but for those that do purchase it, to them, it could just seem like a small price to pay for what might be the next big thing.
“You have to think of any new technology is going to be more expensive,” Dr. Dawson said. “[Especially] in the early phases of adoption - that price comes down as more people will get on board with using the technology so more units can be sold... I think if you’re supportive of the technology, you’re probably going to use it. No matter what the cost might be.”
“There’s a lot of technology in there, so it wasn’t going to be the cheapest firearm out there on the market,” Courtney added. “I think a lot of people, you know, first-time firearms owners, maybe it seems like a lot of money, but there’s a ton of value in the peace of mind.”
Even Abrego, who says he would not personally purchase the gun, understands how smart guns may appeal to others and that alone is enough to get him to at least try out the gun.
“I’d love to try it out and shoot it,” he said. “I’m not against it. It just wouldn’t be my first recommendation... I’m a businessman, so if these people want to make their money like that, go for it. I’m all about technology advancing in any industry, so I definitely would give it a shot.”
Considering how advanced our society is becoming, we may just have to become adaptable and while change can be scary, Courtney remains optimistic about the future.
“I think technology is always good; change and innovation is great,” he concluded. “Technology is constantly more and more in our day-to-day life. And the more it’s out there, the more reliable it becomes. So, I think it’ll just continue to become more reliable.”