What would be the most efficient means of keeping guns away from criminals?

[branford]

35. How often do people have issues with smartphones?

Fingerprint readers are notoriously fussy, batteries run out of charge, they cannot be used with most gloves, etc. It's easy to say that the technology be made more "robust," and quite another to actually make it happen.

Firearms are a very mature, extremely reliable and relatively inexpensive mechanical technology. They generally dependably function for many decades or longer under poor conditions and emergency circumstances such as self-defense. Comparing firearms to smartphones, expensive products requiring constant charging, that most people replace every few years, and known to malfunction or break with depressing regularity, is just plain foolish.

I certainly have no objection to technological innovation or consumers having choices as to what firearms best meet their individual circumstances (or, like myself, choose not to own firearms at all). However, any attempts to mandate such unreliable and limited technology, such as in New Jersey, will have the entirely predictable response of very negative reactions from the community of intended firearm customers.

I would not even begin to entertain laws concerning the adoption of such "smart" technology until it is widely used by both our military and law enforcement. Even with significant investment of time and money, I do not expect this to be the case for many, many years.

As to RFID chips recording information on ownership, location and use, I often wonder when my fellow Democrats suddenly rejected privacy rights and welcomed a surveillance state (worse even than we have now). Not only would such technology be as unreliable "smartgun" technology, it's troubling to suggest that people exercising constitution rights be subject to such constant monitoring simply because they choose to lawfully exercise such rights. If the suggested limitations and restrictions are incompatible with other rights such as voting and free speech, assembly and religion, they are also incompatible with the RKBA.