Every once in a great while, the LA Times gets something right even if it is for the wrong reasons; this is one of them.
Will smart guns make us less safe?
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For the sake of argument, however, let's say that the reliability objection to smart gun technology has been definitively addressed, and that there exists an electronically lockable gun that's practically flying off the shelves. Such technology would not dependably stop unauthorized users from firing stolen weapons, for the simple fact that every piece of locked-down consumer technology that has ever been introduced — from the DRM schemes that encrypt Blu-ray disks to the software locks intended to keep users from installing illicit software on their iPhones — has been “jailbroken” and can be defeated by anyone with a little time and access to YouTube.
As impossible as sealed electronic gadgets are to secure against tampering, guns are even more hopeless, because firearms are mechanical devices that are designed to be disassembled for regular cleaning and repair. Once a gun has been broken down, any component that prevents it from firing can be filed off, taped over, replaced, or otherwise circumvented. Smith & Wesson users, for instance, routinely remove the integrated mechanical locks that the Clinton administration convinced the gunmaker to add to its popular family of revolvers.
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Genuine improvements in firearm safety are always welcomed by American gun owners, who know exactly how dangerous guns are in the wrong hands. But electronic locks that are likely to backfire on gun users, and that are vulnerable to exploitation by criminals, will be rejected by the market and, ultimately, by Congress.
Jon Stokes is a founder of Ars Technica and the author of “Inside the Machine: An Illustrated Introduction to Microprocessors and Computer Architecture.”
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-0117-stokes-smart-gun-problems-20160117-story.html
Will smart guns make us less safe?
.......
For the sake of argument, however, let's say that the reliability objection to smart gun technology has been definitively addressed, and that there exists an electronically lockable gun that's practically flying off the shelves. Such technology would not dependably stop unauthorized users from firing stolen weapons, for the simple fact that every piece of locked-down consumer technology that has ever been introduced — from the DRM schemes that encrypt Blu-ray disks to the software locks intended to keep users from installing illicit software on their iPhones — has been “jailbroken” and can be defeated by anyone with a little time and access to YouTube.
As impossible as sealed electronic gadgets are to secure against tampering, guns are even more hopeless, because firearms are mechanical devices that are designed to be disassembled for regular cleaning and repair. Once a gun has been broken down, any component that prevents it from firing can be filed off, taped over, replaced, or otherwise circumvented. Smith & Wesson users, for instance, routinely remove the integrated mechanical locks that the Clinton administration convinced the gunmaker to add to its popular family of revolvers.
...........
Genuine improvements in firearm safety are always welcomed by American gun owners, who know exactly how dangerous guns are in the wrong hands. But electronic locks that are likely to backfire on gun users, and that are vulnerable to exploitation by criminals, will be rejected by the market and, ultimately, by Congress.
Jon Stokes is a founder of Ars Technica and the author of “Inside the Machine: An Illustrated Introduction to Microprocessors and Computer Architecture.”
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-0117-stokes-smart-gun-problems-20160117-story.html