Given problems with reliability and that the gun is now just available as a 22 caliber, police will likely have to be forced to use this gun. One reason for the low caliber is that the shock from the recoil in the higher caliber guns could damage the electronics. But the decision for police to use this gun may be a political decision, not one based on what is best for the safety of the officers. From Fox News:
Safety advocates want to sell the Smart System iP1 made by the German gun-maker Armatix GmbH to cops, according to an article by Michael Rosenwald in The Washington Post. As he writes:
The James Bond-style, .22-caliber pistol is designed to improve safety by only working when it’s in close proximity to a wristwatch.
When the RFID-equipped watch is activated by a PIN number and placed near the gun — like when a shooter grips the handle — it sends a signal to unlock the pistol, activating a green light on the back of the grip. Otherwise, the firearm stays locked and the light on the back remains red.
While the iP1 could revolutionize safety, gun-rights groups such as the National Rifle Association oppose it out of concern that the government will mandate for all firearms to be similarly equipped with the technology.
The outcry from gun owners was so fierce that the first store to sell the weapon, The Oak Tree Gun Club near Los Angeles, ended up pulling it from its shelves. Another outlet, Engage Armament near Washington, D.C., did the same after the owner received death threats.
The Washington Post article gives an interesting look at the man behind the high-tech weapon, 58-year-old German gun designer Ernst Mauch. . . .
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