Reply #25: Some questions that need to be answered [View All]

[benEzra]

"Also in 2003, NJIT signed an agreement with Metal Storm, which owns a patent for its Electronic Firing System that can be used in a handgun. Metal Storm's O'DwyerTM VLe® system is a unique, patented approach to firing projectiles. Entirely electronic, the system utilizes preloaded barrels holding multiple projectiles that are fired by electronic ignition. For the first time, interchangeable and multiple barrels can be made available to fire a range of projectiles of varying calibers from the same handgun."

Some things the article doesn't mention, but I wonder about...

The Metal Storm gun can only be reloaded by changing the barrel, which IIRC holds only seven rounds. You can't purchase additional ammunition at the store; the barrel will have to be shipped back to the manufacturer to be reloaded with seven more rounds. Shooting this gun will be EXPENSIVE. How expensive? If a shooter goes through even a hundred rounds a month, how much will that cost?

How quickly can the gun be reloaded under stress?

Not only can the system be defeated by someone who hacks the software, but the gun could be turned into a burst-mode or full-auto firearm simply by hacking the software. That could make the system run afoul of the National Firearms Act unless a LOT of safeguards are taken (i.e., it is going to have to be a lot harder to convert than just changing an EPROM or placing a dozen or so jumpers for it to be legal). How will this be done?

How difficult would it be for a person with electronics skills to simply bypass the ID verification portion of the ignition circuitry?

How quickly does it recognize the authorized user? LEO studies have indicated that 1/4 second is the MAXIMUM acceptable delay in a defensive firearm, with closer to 1/10 second being preferable.

Will the system recognize a user with an injured hand, a hand with a band-aid on a finger, wet hands, or a hand that is bleeding? If grip recognition is used, how will the gun account for the difference between the initial gun store grip and the adrenaline-charged-life-or-death-crisis grip?

How easily will the user be able to add other authorized users? If my wife wants to let me try out her handgun, will she have to go to an authorized gun dealer to have me added to the list? What if I want to give my son target shooting lessons at a shooting range--will I be able to temporarily add him, then delete him after the range session? How many people can be authorized to use the same gun?

Are the electronics tolerant of wide temperature swings (below zero to above 150 fahrenheit? Is the system drop-tolerant, immersion tolerant, and ESD tolerant? Can the system be disabled by a close-range electromagnetic pulse generator or similar electronic device?

Assuming a minimum 99.99% overall system reliability under real-world conditions, how serious is the failure mode when it does occur?

How much will the system increase the purchase price of the average handgun? How much will the overall life-cycle cost increase?

These are a lot of the questions that will need to be answered in the next few years before the technology is even close to being market-ready. Unless, of course, the point is simply to outlaw conventional handguns, in which case the goal will have been attained regardless of whether the "smart gun" is a dud or not...