Obama wants smart guns, but not all think it’s a smart idea

President Barack Obama has made it clear his administration wants to advance smart gun technology. Friday Obama posted on Facebook “as long as we’ve got the technology to prevent a criminal from stealing and using your smartphone, then we should be able to prevent the wrong person from pulling a trigger on a gun.”

However, not all think smart guns are a smart idea.

“It’s not going to help. The bad guys, the criminals are going to get guns one way or another,” said Bob Arthur, owner of Arthur’s Shooters Supply in Berlin, Md.

Smart gun companies such as iGun Technology Corporation have come up with innovative ways to prevent guns from firing unless they’re used by their owner.

For example, iGun is currently working on technology that would require the user to wear a special magnetic ring to fire a shotgun. The magnetic ring would trigger a battery operated system within the gun that would then release the trigger.

Arthur said the concept of the system has its flaws, especially in the case of home security.

“If you have a firearm, it needs to work, when you need it to work, we don’t padlock parachutes to the side of the plane or life jackets or fire extinguishers, if you need one of these, you need it right now and if it’s locked up it’s not going to do anybody any good,” Arthur said.

Obama has asked for the departments of justice and homeland security to come up with requirements smart guns would have to meet in order for law enforcement agencies to buy and use them. Both departments have said that information should be ready by October.