Reader Michael L. writes:
I received a notification that my county police department has instituted a system called Smart911. From my research it is a private company that sells their service to government entities. It is a repository of citizen information available to first responders supposedly. It gets tied into the 911 police system. It talks about uploading photos of all family members, medical records, etc. In about a minute of research I see that noting whether firearms are “stored in the home” is one of their target areas. This is a huge intrusion into gun owners privacy and rights . . .
There are so many questions that come to mind. Who has access to the information? Will the information be used by firearm licensing agencies in California, New Jersey, New York? What protection is there from the database being hacked or misused? What legal recourse does a citizen have if the information is misused? Can you expunge information?
They say call centers across the country have access to this info. I am absolutely NOT going to use this intrusive governmental ploy. One article about the system I found regards its use in California and it clearly mentions tracking firearms.
This is from a FAQ page for Orange County Virginia:
3. How do I sign up for Smart 911?
Citizens can sign up for this free service by visiting the Smart911 Website. Smart911 can help save your life in the event of an emergency. The more information first responders know about you up front, the quicker they can act when every second counts. Smart911 is free, 100% private, secure and used by thousands of 911 call centers across the country. Smart911