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Password-protected Bullets

August 18th, 2006 Leave a comment Go to comments

Barry Fox over at the NewScientist Blogs writes,

The way to make firearms really safe, says Hebert Meyerle of Germany, is to password-protect the ammunition itself.

Meyerle is patenting a design for a modified cartridge that would be fired by a burst of high-frequency radio energy. But the energy would only ignite the charge if a solid-state switch within the cartridge had been activated. This would only happen if a password entered into the gun using a tiny keypad matched one stored in the cartridge.

When they are sold, cartridges could be programmed with a password that matches the purchaser’s gun. An owner could set the gun to request the password when it is reloaded, or to perform a biometric check before firing. The gun could also automatically lock itself after a pre-set period of time has passed since the password was entered.

The system would undoubtedly cost more than a conventional gun, but many firearm enthusiasts would surely pay a premium for such added security.

Plenty of good comments posted,

This is a terrible idea. It will hinder those who may need the weapon for self defense long enough to become dead, and will do absolutely NOTHING to stop an accidental death or misuse by a thieving criminal.

Want safer guns? Kill the criminals.

Categories: Firearms, Science
  • 8O :roll: :? :x :evil:

    I *&^%%# well am *%#*$#^ thinking of the children, %#$* it!

    ;)
  • Totally agree with the points you've made...however, think of the children :twisted:
  • Oh, one more thing I had intended to mention.

    What about the person that buys a gun for protection and just leaves it in their closet for an unspecified period of time? Is this moron stating that he will guarantee that the battery will not go bad during that storage time?

    If a person needs a gun, they really need a gun. If it doesn't work 'cause the batteries are dead, are they gonna have time to figure that out and correct the problem before being killed?

    I hope this fella pulls his head out of his dark, stinky place and pulls the plug on this before it goes to market.

    Or that he has really good insurance for all the wrongful death lawsuits that could potentially be filed. 8O
  • I don't suppose it's occurred to this donkey's rear that:

    1) This is just adding a ton of frivolous additions to an already complicated system that is prone to failure anyway? And that this is life-saving equipment that needs to be as reliable as possible?

    2) It's totally useless with the availability of reloading equipment such as it is.

    3) The cost of each cartridge will jump significantly with the addition of a solid state switch to them.

    4) A minimally competent criminal will likely have no problem bypassing this system once it's been on the market long enough for a few tech savvy folks to disassemble one and diseminate that knowledge. (Heard of hotwiring, anyone?)

    Nevermind all that. We've GOT to make people FEEL safe whether they really are or not. And I suppose that if you're ignorant or an idiot, this will make you feel better.

    I am truly amazed at the need folks have to feel safe. The world isn't safe. Take the risks you have to and the ones you believe to be necessary for a better future. But don't think you can legislate or engineer risk out of life. You can't. At best, you'll have wasted all your effort in the attempt. At worst...well...let's just say that I believe there are things in this life that are worse than death or injury and leave it at that.
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