Security Device Helps Gun Owners Stay Ready And Responsible
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — It's estimated there are more than 7 million handguns in homes with children 12 years old or younger.
According to gun safety advocacy group Everytown, 2016 has already seen at least 126 child shootings with guns left out, unlocked and loaded.
Matt Barido is the co-founder of Veri-Fire, a firearm-safety company made up of gun owners and veterans, and says the big question for all gun owners is how to remain ready and responsible at the same time.
"The reality of the situation is that a lot of folks are faced with that dilemma of 'I bought this handgun to be ready but I also know that I'm supposed to unload and lock it,' " says Barido.
And that's where Guardian comes in.
"Guardian is an aftermarket accessory that you attach to your semiautomatic handgun," Barido said. "It physically restricts access to the trigger, effectively rendering it inoperable without the appropriate authorization."
According to Barido, Guardian can be fitted on more than 150 different handgun models and allows for up to five authorized users on each gun.
"The primary authentication mechanism for the Guardian is the fingerprint," he says. "You enroll your fingerprint, the enrollment process takes about seven seconds. Once you are enrolled in the device, you don't have to enroll again."
Guardian takes about one second to unlock, compared with about 12 seconds to unlock a gun safe.
"The difference between 12 seconds or more and one second is pretty substantial in a crisis," said Barido.
Another company is also releasing a similar biometric product called IdentiLock, but gun manufacturers and law enforcement are hesitant to comment until the products officially hit the market and they've had time to review them.
VeriFire recommends keeping your firearm unloaded and locked in a safe when not in use, but if you need to have your gun out and ready, Barido says, such devices could prevent some horrible accidents.
"At the end of the day, our mission is to save lives," he said. "The first email that we get that says your product saved my kid's life, that's really what the impact is."
