LOS ANGELES, March 7 — The first smart gun for the US market has gone on sale in California. The .22 caliber iP1 handgun developed by German arms manufacturer Armatix, currently only available in the US at a single store, is seen by gun-control advocates as a landmark development in battle on the nation’s epidemic of gun crime, accidental shootings and suicide.
The handgun makes use of an embedded RFID chip, which works in conjunction with a wristwatch containing a similar chip. When within operating range, the watch responds to ‘pings’ from the gun enabling it to be fired. A numerical passcode which the user must tap into the watch provides a second layer of security.
Armatix is taking at a US market which it believes is open to innovative technological solutions; but the device may price many out of the mark, with a price tag of around US$1,400 (RM4,559) for the gun alone, and another US$400 for the watch, which is sold separately. — Reuters
