AB 2235 (“smart guns”) ALSO passed the CA State Assembly..
Smart handguns are an interesting concept. The idea that a gun can only work for the owner and not for anybody else. I like this as a feature and I may even buy a gun that has this feature for certain circumstances. But, overall, it has a lot of drawbacks. The goal is obvious — criminals cannot use a stolen gun. My Thoughts:
- Guns for defense need to be reliable. This sounds like a complicated system that can fail — mechanically (broken biometric reader?, bad battery?) or in practice (dirty hands?, forgotten password?). Wristwatches have trouble standing up to constant firearm discharges — how is some complex technology going to stand up?
- Guns are often likely to be used by an owners friend/family. No longer would you be able to just hand a gun over to your wife (or friend or neighbor) in a time of emergency. If your partner gets shot and your gun is dry, you cannot pickup and use his.
- If it was super simple and reliable, I may consider one on a personal firearm I leave unlocked in my home. That way an intruder, if they find it, won’t be able to use it against me. But(!) it would have to be SUPER reliable and I would probably only have one and it be because I want a firearm in a place where it would be difficult to put it in a simple to operate safe.
Mandated? Seems like an expensive joke that the lawmakers are trying to play on the citizens of CA.
AB 2235 requires the attorney general to monitor “smart-gun” technology and force these technologies, as they are developed, to be mandated on all firearms. So, if a small firearms company comes up with a crappy system for “smart-guns”, it will get mandated and all manufacturers will have to comply.
The worst part of this law is that it presupposes that limiting gun use to its owner is a desired characteristic.
- Loaded chamber indicators? Probably an all around good idea.
- Magazine disconnects? I’ve had to fire with the magazine out of my gun, seems like this makes the gun less predictable and less reliable and is a feature I do not want on my firearms — All of us in CA have had to demonstrate that we know that we have to clear the chamber of a semi-automatic as well as remove the magazine.
- Smart guns? Might have their place, but, depending on the use, probably an all around bad idea.
This bill has moved from the assembly to the senate, please act.