Once called a ‘rock star’ in the gun industry, German gunmaker Ernst Mauch is coming under a less literal kind of fire for his creation of what he calls a ‘smart gun’. The weapon was designed at Armatrix, a start up company near Munich. The gun looks to be safer, however gun advocates are opposed.
“It hurts my heart. It’s life. It’s the lives of people who never thought they’d get killed by a gun. You have an nice family at home, and then you get killed. It’s crazy.” Said the gun designer.
Mauch’s new solution is his smart gun, the iP1, which will only fire if the rightful owner is wearing a special watch connected wirelessly to the gun. Mauch thought it would be a hit in the US market, however he is now being seen as a traitor.
“I love Ernst, and his contributions to firearms are incredible. But he doesn’t understand that the anti-gunners will use this to infringe on a constitutional right. They don’t have a Second Amendment in Germany.’ Said Jim Schatz, a consultant in the gun industry.
The National Rifle Association and other gun groups are opposing the smart gun, stating that the new weapon could be a concept that could be possibly mandated in the future.
Problems many critics cite are the need of batteries to operate both the gun and watch. There are also microchips and wires being taken into account, with many people saying that the possible unreliability is a factor into their opposition.
