MIT freshman tries to save lives with smart guns

[sarisataka]

MIT freshman tries to save lives with smart guns

When Kai Kloepfer points his .40 caliber handgun, it fires like any other weapon. But when someone else gives it a try, it doesn’t work. It’s the first firearm with same built-in security as many smartphones.

If the gun is picked up by an authorized user, a sensor recognizes the fingerprint and it will fire.

Guns that only work for their owners used to be the stuff of movies, like James Bond’s gun in “Skyfall,” but Kloepfer thinks he has the technology to make them a reality, reports CBS News correspondent Tony Dokoupil.

“I think this could be huge. I think it could really be the future of firearms,” Kloepfer said.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/smart-gun-fingerprint-reader-biofire-kai-kloepfer-pushback-firearm-community/

Let the market decide if it is a good idea, but I would recommend he try to greatly improve from “relatively reliable.”

One (of several) important questions- if the owner wishes to sell the gun, what is the procedure to wipe fingerprint from memory and authorize the new owner's prints? How can it be protected so a thief could not simply do the same with a stolen gun?