US-based company debuts 'world's first smart gun' with fingerprint unlocking system
(CBSNewsTexas) - A U.S.-based technology company says it has built the world's first biometric smart gun.
Secured by fingerprint and 3D infrared facial recognition, Biofire Technologies announced the 9mm handgun in a news release on April 13. It works in a wide variety of conditions, including if a user is wearing gloves or a face covering.
Customizable LED indicators show when the gun is armed and it even locks automatically when not in use.
"Biofire's approach is totally novel: we've applied high-precision engineering principles to make a meaningful impact on preventable firearm deaths among children. No one had tried that before. As a result, Biofire is now offering the most technologically advanced consumer firearm the industry's ever seen," said Kai Kloepfer, CEO and Founder of Biofire. "This is a new era in firearm safety driven by ambition and optimism, motivated by the idea that we can in fact help save people's lives."
For gun owners concerned with privacy, the gun uses biometric data that never leaves the firearm, which has no onboard WiFi, Bluetooth, or GPS. Also, Integrated IR sensors in the grip keep the firearm armed while an authorized user is holding the gun, removing a need to continuously authenticate their biometrics.
Designed for home defense, the $1,499 gun enables firearm owners to defend themselves while preventing unauthorized access and misuse, according to the company. It's powered by a rechargeable, removable, high-endurance lithium-ion battery. The battery lasts for several months with average use and can fire continuously for several hours, according to Biofire.
"The Biofire Smart Gun was designed specifically for real gun owners who want a quality home defense firearm that cannot be used by children or criminals," said Mike Corbett, a Biofire advisor and former member of SEAL Team 6.
The smart is gun customizable too, offering 64 combinations of polymer, trigger, and magazine release colors. It's available in right-handed and left-handed models, and with customizable grip-size options.
While Biofire's gun is new to the market, this isn't the first time smart guns have hit the news cycle. In 2015, gunmaker Smith & Wesson promised the Clinton White House to develop smart guns as part of a deal to fend off liability litigation.
Under the agreement, Smith & Wesson would have developed smart guns, which only their owners could have fired. But the gun lobby organized a boycott against them, seeing smart guns and other concessions in the deal as part of the gun control agenda. Factories closed, employees were laid off, and after for sometime, no big gunmaker in America ever went near a smart gun.
"There's a lot of skepticism and a lot of resistance to them," President and CEO, National Shooting Sports Foundation Steve Sanetti told 60 Minutes in a 2015 report. "People that own guns are not the ones saying, "I'm the one that wants this. Please develop it."
"It's coming from the gun control side. It's coming from people who, frankly, really want to put as many obstacles to a gun going off as they can," he continued.
The National Rifle Association has also expressed their concern that smart guns could open the door to a ban on all other guns," Sanetti said.
Biofire's smart gun is available for pre-order with a refundable $149 deposit, and orders are expected to be completed in early 2024. The gun will ship to customers through the same legal ATF transfer process required of all traditional firearms.
