“Los Angeles-based entrepreneur named Mark B. Barron [above] has created a new app called Lockdown, which he believes could decrease the country’s number of gun-related crimes,” vice.com reports. “The app works with a ‘clip’ containing a GPS chip that a user can attach to his gun. The owner leaves his gun in designated areas and enters a code when he wants to remove his weapon. If someone removes the gun without entering the code, the smart chip sends a notification to the owner’s smartphone. The gun owner can then cancel the alert, or forward it to police, family, neighbors, or anyone else he’s chosen as an emergency contact on the app.” What could possibly go wrong? According to Vice writer Justin Glawe . . .
In an ideal scenario, Barron said, congress would pass a law that would require gun makers to include Lockdown’s technology on weapons—legislation that could possibly piss off gun-rights groups like the National Rifle Association.
Now you’d think a little explanation of the NRA’s potential objection to Barron’s “ideal world” brainstorm would be in order. No such luck. So I’ll take it upon myself to remind readers that the government (or any 8th grader) could use – indeed hack into – any such electronic tagging system to restrict Americans’ natural, civil and constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms. In other words, Lockdown is government confiscation made easy.
Even so . . .
As Nick reminds me (again and again) you can’t stop the signal. If well-meaning entrepreneurs want to create and sell RIFD-enable “gun clips” or electronic user-ID-equipped “smart guns,” gopher it! The chances of these devices becoming a commercial success are lower than a snake’s belly. But what do I know? Let the free market decide.
And when – not if – gun control advocates seize on this technology to further their civilian disarmament agenda through legislative mandate, it’s up to We The People to tell them to pound sand.
Or, even better, equip police departments’ rifles with the GPS locators. Check this ABC News/Fusion investigative report into the Pentagon’s increasingly infamous 1033 military -> police equipment load program:
Huntington Beach, California, was given 23 M-16s and one is missing.
“Bottom line is the gun is not here and we were suspended from the program, haven’t received anything since 1999,” O’Brien said.
In fact, it’s a huge nationwide problem.
The Pentagon suspended three entire states — Alabama, North Carolina and Minnesota — for failure to comply with the annual inventory requirements.
In addition, 146 individual law enforcement agencies in 36 states have been suspended since 2007.
Seven departments have been kicked out forever and ordered to return every weapon passed on to them by the Pentagon because of repeated issues with these military-style weapons.
Let the government get its own house in order before entering mine to tag my guns “for the children.” And not even then. Meanwhile, if Mr. Barron’s looking for an investor for his “Find My Gun” app, I won’t oppose those efforts, but include me out.