“Smart Guns” Have Become A Talking Point

by
posted on August 27, 2019
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
talkpoin.jpg

The Armatix iP1 pistol (above) is a “smart gun” available in .22 LR that Joe Biden wants to use an excuse to ban everything else.

“If I get elected president of the United States of America with your help, if that happens, guns, we have the capacity now in a James Bond-style to make sure no one can pull a trigger unless their DNA and fingerprint is on it. We have that capacity to do it now. You know it,” said Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.

Biden was clumsily trying to articulate what is a real threat to gun rights. Some politicians see so-called “smart-gun” technology—defined as some kind of device that would theoretically only allow a firearm to function when used by a specific person or group of people—as a clever way to ban every gun that doesn’t incorporate some government-approved version of this futuristic technology.

The latest move in this direction is legislation introduced by U.S. Sen. Christopher Murphy (D-CT) designed to “amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide an enhanced research credit for the development of smart gun technologies.”

Politicians like Biden and Murphy have noticed that American gun owners have shown no interest in buying products that put the uncertainty of a battery and some kind of new technology between them and their perfectly functioning firearms, so they want to force us to buy and use them.

The politicians backing this type of legislation surmise that if this technology is developed, “smart guns” can then be made mandatory. A mandate of this technology then becomes a de-facto ban on all firearms now owned by and sold to the public.

Such technology, whether it works or not, could also allow government officials to put their bureaucratic fingers into the internal workings of our firearms. Put another way, the sponsors of this bill want to use public money to push American businesses into manufacturing a product that consumers have shown no interest in because it would give them control of the public.

Latest

NRA member illustration
NRA member illustration

Parting Shot | There is a Time to Rejoice

When fighting for your constitutional rights, it can be tough to know when—if ever—to sit back for a moment and favorably review the scene.

Hawaii’s Concealed Carry is a Fraud

Hawaii’s legislative response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 Bruen decision has created a concealed-carry permitting system that is, by design, practically impossible for a law-abiding citizen to navigate without committing a felony.

President Trump Signs Legislation to Support Medal of Honor Recipients

In an Oval Office ceremony, President Donald Trump signed the Medal of Honor Act into law. This legislation increases the monthly special pension for living Medal of Honor recipients.

Dispelling Anti-Gun Disinformation | Here Are 10 Lies About Guns And Crime The Trump Administration Has Exposed

Crime is a major problem in the United States, 66% of Americans believe, with 81% saying it is a major problem in large cities, according to an August 2025 poll by the Associated Press/NORC [previously the National Opinion Research Center].

The Greatest Second Amendment Victory in a Century

On July 4, 2025, Americans celebrated not only our nation’s independence, but also the restoration of our constitutional Second Amendment rights becoming unconstrained by burdensome and arbitrary fees.

Opening Salvo | More Evidence That Gun-Control Groups are Freaking Out

With the Trump administration’s law-and-order push showing America’s crime problem is clearly not the fault of lawfully armed citizens, gun-control groups are freaking out.

Interests



Get the best of America's 1st Freedom delivered to your inbox.