2020 presidential candidates — like Andrew Yang and Joe Biden — are backing 007 technology called “smart guns.” 

Does the technology really exist? Or is it all a marketing fad? 

We’ll find out in this article. Let’s dig in. 

Dynamic Grip Recognition Technology Prototype

In 2005, the New Jersey Institute of Technology discovered a breakthrough technology called Dynamic Grip Recognition technology. 

What was it? 

It’s the 007 grip technology. You use your hand’s grip to unlock your gun. 

The best part? 

It had over a 90 percent reliability in several gun tests. Meaning, it beats almost EVERY biometric methods (like fingerprinting). 

The only problem? 

Nobody wanted to manufacturer it. Why? Because of NRA’s historic stance on smart guns. Their stance developed when…

2 Gun Manufacturers Tried To Develop The Smart Gun

In 2000, Bill Clinton’s administration partnered with two large gun manufacturers — Smith & Wesson and Colt — to develop the world’s first smart gun. 

Everything was going smooth until the NRA decided to blockade them.

The reason?

The NRA believed smart guns were a backdoor to gun control. So they rallied all gun owners to boycott both of these gun companies.

The results were devastating...

...both gun companies were NEARLY driven out of business. 

To save their arses, both companies immediately stopped smart gun development indefinitely. 

This left a clear message to all gun manufacturers saying: 

“Work on smart guns...and you’ll die.” 

As a result, there hasn’t been a SINGLE gun manufacturer that’s worked on smart guns. That’s a bit sad considering smart guns could potentially solve real gun problems like…

Gun Theft

Over 380,000 guns are stolen from gun owners each year. 

The worst part? 

Those SAME stolen guns are turned over to criminals and later used in violent crimes. In fact, over 30 percent of guns found in crime scenes were previously stolen. 

Smart guns could solve this problem due to their “password protected” biometric technology. 

And that’s not the only problem it could solve. It could also...

Prevent Suicide

Two-thirds of all gun deaths are caused by suicide. 

In other words:...

The problem with guns isn’t the violence — it’s the suicide. Which is why more than 80 percent of child firearm suicides are carried out using a family member’s firearm. 

So the logic follows…

If we use smart guns, we’d save countless lives by ending gun theft and child (and teen) firearm suicide, right?

It’s true, but there’s also…

A Major Drawback To Using Smart Guns

It’s a backdoor for more restrictive gun control.

We’ve seen this first-hand in 2002 when New Jersey released the Childproof Handgun Law. 

This law required all gun shops to sell ONLY smart guns when they became commercially accessible. 

In other words:...

Access to guns are being controlled by a government entity. 

That’s a no-go for the NRA, who immediately saw smart guns as a threat to our Second Amendment rights. 

That’s why the NRA has actively opposed smart guns. And anyone that has tried to sell it — whether prominent gun manufacturers or tiny gun shops — has been rightfully halted by the NRA.

Which leads us to the fundamental question…

Will Smart Guns Ever Come To Market?

I believe they eventually will. Because think about it: 

If smart guns ever came to the market (and proven reliable), who wouldn’t want one? 

They’re the EXACT same handgun and rifle except...safer. I believe everyone would adopt it, including gun right advocates, gun control advocates, and law enforcement.

Even more, I think the federal government would pass a law requiring ALL guns to be smart guns. 

(Similar to Seat belt legislation).

This would be good business for firearm companies, resulting in billions of dollars of new profit. 

Simply put: 

It’s a win, win scenario for all sides.

Which leads me to my main point: 

I think the ONLY reason why smart guns aren’t here yet is because the firearm market is doing well. 

If it started to die, I believe gun manufacturers would be open to introducing a smart gun to revive the dying gun market. But that may take a while. 

That said, there’s hope: 

With upcoming presidential candidates backing smart guns, along with a recent modification to the New Jersey smart gun law, I think they may arrive sooner than we think. 

But that’s all speculation. I’m interested in hearing what you think. 

Do you think smart guns will ever come to market? Or do you think they shouldn’t ever come? 

Either way, let me know your opinion in the comments below right now. 

Richard Douglas is a firearms expert and educator. He's a strong 2nd amendment advocate and believes in science-backed gun solutions to our nation's biggest problems. His work appeared on large publications like SOFREP, Daily Caller, American Shooting Journal, and more. In his free time, he reviews optics on his Scopes Field blog.

Image: Creative Commons.