In January, Barack Obama used an executive order to direct further research into so-called “smart gun” technology. And on Friday, the president announced new efforts to speed up the development of these guns.
“These common-sense steps are not going to prevent every tragedy, but what if they prevented even one?” Obama wrote on Facebook. Apparently the president isn’t considering the alternative—what if just one tragedy was caused by this technology failing?
In an effort to have government take the lead and help create a market for smart guns, the Department of Justice is offering certain federal grants to state and local governments that purchase the guns. But law enforcement isn’t biting.
“I don’t think that police officers, or anybody for that matter, should be guinea pigs for untested, deadly weapons,” said James Pasco, executive director of the National Fraternal Order of Police. “We have some very, very serious questions.”
