# Why the opposition to "smart" guns? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 31, 2013, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-opposition-to-smart-guns/648867 "2013-01-31T01:44:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-opposition-to-smart-guns/648867/41 "2013-01-31T14:04:52Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > What do you think would happen to an automobile manufacturer who’s brakes failed 1% of the time? Depends entirely on if the cause of the brakes failing 1% of the time prevented some other catastrophe an even greater percent of the time. ---
**Author:** ![JXJohns](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jxjohns/32/469_2.png) [@JXJohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JXJohns)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-opposition-to-smart-guns/648867/42 "2013-01-31T14:18:41Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > Cars would be more convenient without seatbelts, biking is more comfortable and convenient without a helmet, safety rails often get in the way, airbags reduce the area available for use on the dash or steering wheel. Cars can be driven with or without seat belts functioning. I bike 50 miles on average a week without a helmet. Safety rails assist but are not integral to getting out of the shower or going down the stairs. Safe gun technology, if it fails, renders a firearm useless. It can be used as a club or perhaps a hammer, but that’s about it. ---
**Author:** ![JXJohns](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jxjohns/32/469_2.png) [@JXJohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JXJohns)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-opposition-to-smart-guns/648867/43 "2013-01-31T14:20:51Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > OF those who say they need almost instant access to their weapon because time is of the essence in the case of a home break-in, how many wear contact lenses? Do they they stop in the bathroom to put the lenses in first? I don’t wear glasses. However, It doesn’t seem too much of a stretch to put a pair of specs next to where I store my home defense gun should the need arise. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-opposition-to-smart-guns/648867/44 "2013-01-31T14:22:01Z")
> [@JXJohns](#): > > Safe gun technology, if it fails, renders a firearm useless. It can be used as a club or perhaps a hammer, but that’s about it. Do you understand the point made above about the most probable way a gun a homeowner buys will be used? It isn’t obvious that you do. ---
**Author:** ![JXJohns](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jxjohns/32/469_2.png) [@JXJohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JXJohns)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-opposition-to-smart-guns/648867/45 "2013-01-31T14:45:00Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > Do you understand the point made above about the most probable way a gun a homeowner buys will be used? It isn’t obvious that you do. In all seriousness, I’m not following you. Please explain. ---
**Author:** ![Sanity\_Challenged](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de053/32.png) [@Sanity\_Challenged](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sanity_Challenged)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-opposition-to-smart-guns/648867/46 "2013-01-31T14:50:30Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > Do you understand the point made above about the most probable way a gun a homeowner buys will be used? It isn’t obvious that you do. 300 million guns in the US. 30,470 deaths per year from firearms. The most probable way a gun a homeowner buys will be used, coming in at over 99.98%, falls under sporting, hunting, training, collecting, and recreation. Undoubtedly an underestimate, since that would assume each firearm death originates from a unique gun, and assumes that accidents qualify as a valid use. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-opposition-to-smart-guns/648867/47 "2013-01-31T14:52:57Z")
“smart guns” do not exist. It is a scam to attract investment and research grant $$. Having a gun taken away and used against them is every policeman’s nightmare. If a smart gun existed, it would corner the law enforcement market, regardless of price. The fact that the number of police officers equipped with smart guns is zero should tell you all you need to know about them. ---
**Author:** ![JXJohns](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jxjohns/32/469_2.png) [@JXJohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JXJohns)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-opposition-to-smart-guns/648867/48 "2013-01-31T14:59:40Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > In what way is the gun’s effectiveness reduced? If I pull the trigger and I get a click instead of a bang, the effectiveness of the gun just went to zero. I have worked corporate gigs most of my 25 years in the workforce. Most of those times and even in college, I needed some sort of proximity badge to let me in and out of areas where I was allowed. If I had a dollar for every time that non essential technology failed, I’d have enough buy an “assault weapon” at today’s inflated prices. RFID and other tech that is being tested to integrate “safety” into guns is far from perfect. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-opposition-to-smart-guns/648867/49 "2013-01-31T15:06:44Z")
> [@JXJohns](#): > > I don’t wear glasses. However, It doesn’t seem too much of a stretch to put a pair of specs next to where I store my home defense gun should the need arise. I never mentioned glasses. ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-opposition-to-smart-guns/648867/50 "2013-01-31T15:09:45Z")
> [@Kevbo](#): > > “smart guns” do not exist. It is a scam to attract investment and research grant $$. > > Having a gun taken away and used against them is every policeman’s nightmare. If a smart gun existed, it would corner the law enforcement market, regardless of price. The fact that the number of police officers equipped with smart guns is zero should tell you all you need to know about them. This. This answers the OP perfectly. ---
**Author:** ![JXJohns](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jxjohns/32/469_2.png) [@JXJohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JXJohns)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-opposition-to-smart-guns/648867/51 "2013-01-31T15:16:10Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I never mentioned glasses. Yet, I solved the brain buster that you presented, unless you have a cite that shows that most gun owners who wear contacts do not own a pair of glasses. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-opposition-to-smart-guns/648867/52 "2013-01-31T15:18:51Z")
Let’s say “smart” guns are perfected so as to be more reliable than the gun itself, say 99.99%. Are there any _other_ objections to its use? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-opposition-to-smart-guns/648867/53 "2013-01-31T15:21:24Z")
> [@JXJohns](#): > > Yet, I solved the brain buster that you presented, unless you have a cite that shows that most gun owners who wear contacts do not own a pair of glasses. I know a lot of people that have contacts but not glasses-the fact that you find the possibility surprising surprises me. ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-opposition-to-smart-guns/648867/54 "2013-01-31T15:25:09Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Let’s say “smart” guns are perfected so as to be more reliable than the gun itself, say 99.99%. Are there any _other_ objections to its use? Define “smart”. Does it let me go to the range with a friend and we can both shoot it? Can I still pick up my gun and shoot it without tinkering with anything or entering any codes for access? My answer is different if it’s somehow encoded only to me and others can’t use it. Or if there is a complex process to use it. Gun safety is improving all the time. My most recently purchased handgun has an integrated internal safety plus a grip safety. You need to be holding it properly and pull the trigger for it to fire. It won’t fire even if you hit it with a sledgehammer. It won’t fire if it’s in a holster. I bought it despite having these features, so I am not opposed to safety, but it has to be safety that works. ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-opposition-to-smart-guns/648867/55 "2013-01-31T15:26:24Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > OF those who say they need almost instant access to their weapon because time is of the essence in the case of a home break-in, how many wear contact lenses? Do they they stop in the bathroom to put the lenses in first? I got Lasik. Seriously. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-opposition-to-smart-guns/648867/56 "2013-01-31T15:27:42Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > I got Lasik. > > Seriously. So why did you bother responding? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-opposition-to-smart-guns/648867/57 "2013-01-31T15:32:27Z")
> [@Stoneburg](#): > > Is 1% too high? I would expect most peoples guns to malfunction more than that. This is a perfect example of what make Second Amendment advocates quake in fear: the idea that someone who seriously believes most peoples guns have a failure rate of greater than 1% is, in any way, an influential voice on crafting reasonable gun policy. No. Most peoples’ guns have failure rates orders of magnitude less than 1%. Out of curiosity – what kind of failures were you imagining when you wrote that? ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-opposition-to-smart-guns/648867/58 "2013-01-31T15:32:28Z")
Smoke detectors mostly run on batteries. That’s why they tell you to change the battery every fall and spring so that there’s no chance of them being dead. Your not yet existing smart gun that needed a battery to run its user validation technology would be no different. If you are a diligent owner who services his weapon regularly, why would changing the battery be such an inconvenience? I would agree that it would have to have the ability to program in multiple validated users. ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-opposition-to-smart-guns/648867/59 "2013-01-31T15:32:49Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > So why did you bother responding? It seems you don’t like any of the responses you are getting to your silly question. ---
**Author:** ![JXJohns](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jxjohns/32/469_2.png) [@JXJohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JXJohns)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-opposition-to-smart-guns/648867/60 "2013-01-31T15:32:55Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I know a lot of people that have contacts but not glasses-the fact that you find the possibility surprising surprises me. If someone is going to take the responsibility to protect themselves with a firearm it is not much of a stretch to think that they would go to some lengths to make sure they can see, and see quickly should they need to. Glasses, flashlights, weapon lights, they all serve a purpose. I live with three people who have both glasses and contacts. I’ll poll all of my coworkers today if they wear contacts whether they also have a pair of glasses. Sit tight until I get the results… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-opposition-to-smart-guns/648867.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-opposition-to-smart-guns/648867.md?page=4)