Re: Smart Pistols

From: Michael S. Lorrey (mike@datamann.com)
Date: Tue May 02 2000 - 09:55:41 MDT


Brian D Williams wrote:

> From: Lee Daniel Crocker <lee@piclab.com>
>
> >> Maybe I am starting to like this "smart gun" idea...
> >> You'll like it right up until some smart alec gun hater gets a
> >>little EMP/ECM device that fries the circuits on people's self
> >>defense guns...
>
> >Damn. I was starting to really like the smart gun idea, and you
> >have to bring up a really good argument against them. I should
> >point out that mere electric ignition is not enough to make a gun
> >vulnerable to EMP--a simple battery-powered mechanical switch
> >device will survive. But "smart" requires silicon, and that /will/
> >be destroyed by EMP. Perhaps one could build the silicon in such
> >a way that an EMP would turn it into a dead short, thereby
> >rendering it "dumb" but still firable. Is that feasible?
>
> Now imagine law enforcement using one of Chuck's HERF guns on a
> suspect carrying what appears to be a state of the art S&W
> smartgun, and finds out at the last moment that it's been converted
> to mechanical firing......

Yup. The cries and hollering that will happen then. Of course it will be the
fault of all gun owners in general, no matter that alteration of a smart gun to
mechanical firing will probably be a crime by that time....

Any circuits using transistors will also require resistors, capacitors, etc. I
doubt its possible to make a circuit impervious to it, and it *can't* be
hardened against either, because the barrel of the gun will act as a wave guide
(and don't expect lead bullets to be legal in a few more years because, by gosh,
lead is TOXIC (cries of shock)) leading right to the electrodes, which will feed
current right back into the circuit...

Expect shoot to kill orders by police against anyone using a mechanical
gun...after all, why would you be using, or why would you need a mechanical gun
if you didn't intend to commit a crime with it? Thats logical... ;)

Mike Lorrey



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