The company behind America’s first biometric “smart gun” — one that fires only when gripped by authorized users — will face a crucial test in the coming weeks.
After decades of failed attempts by other manufacturers to bring a reliable smart gun to market, Biofire, a Colorado-based startup, says it’s shipping its first batch of 9 mm handguns equipped with fingerprint and facial-recognition technology by the end of the month. The company’s smart gun is designed to serve a very specific purpose: a weapon that can be quickly accessed to defend against a home intruder, but that can’t be used by anyone unauthorized, particularly children.
As Biofire markets its gun to firearm enthusiasts and skeptics alike, the company is walking a careful line to avoid the massive blowback from the gun-rights movement that derailed previous iterations of smart guns.
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Gun control advocates have long seen biometric technology as a game changer for reducing gun violence, and Biofire has drawn their praise by emphasizing safety and the need to prevent children from accessing guns. At the same time, the company has built ties with the gun industry and opposes any government mandates to require biometric features in guns, trying to head off fears that the technology is a Trojan horse for gun control.
So far, Biofire’s approach has been received with a mix of cautious optimism, curiosity and distrust. But the most important question won’t be fully answered until the gun is in people’s hands: Does it really work?
“I don’t want to be the first guy to find out,” said Pierre Salomon, who runs a firearms training company in Massachusetts. “I don’t think the technology is there for me to be putting my life on the line — and my family’s life on the line.”
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