http://dailycaller.com/2014/04/07/eric-holder-wants-gun-owners-to-wear-tracking-bracelets/?print=1Eric Holder wants gun owners to wear ‘smart gun’ bracelets
Posted By Robby Soave On 2:54 PM 04/07/2014
Attorney General Eric Holder wants to explore “common sense” gun reforms, like mandating that gun owners would have to wear bracelets before they could activate their firearms.
Holder made his remarks while testifying before a U.S. House of Representatives appropriations committee on Friday. He acknowledged the existence of the Second Amendment, which gives people the unqualified right to own and carry weapons, but nevertheless expressed support for several gun control measures that he described as “common sense reforms,” according to The Washington Free Beacon.
“One of the things we learned when we were trying to pass those common sense reforms last year, Vice President Biden and I had a meeting with a group of technology people and talked about how guns can be made more safe by making them either though fingerprint identification, the gun talks to a bracelet that you might wear, how guns can be used only by the person who is lawfully in possession of the weapon,” said Holder, referring to so-called “smart gun” technology.
“It’s those kinds of things that I think we want to try to explore so that people have the ability to enjoy their Second Amendment rights while at the same time decreasing the misuse of weapons that lead to the kinds of things we see on a daily basis, where people, kids especially, are struck down.”
A smart gun requires the shooter to be wearing a bracelet or watch with an RFID chip that communicates with the gun and allows it to fire. (RELATED: ‘Smart gun’ would require shooter to be wearing watch before firing)
The National Rifle Association opposes such technology, writing last year that “we are opposed to government mandates that require the use of expensive, unreliable features, such as grips that would read your fingerprints before the gun will fire.”
Holder’s testimony concerned the Department of Justice’s budget requests for fiscal year 2014. Holder would like Congress to allocate increased funding — an additional $380 million — for gun safety programs. About $2 million would go toward the development of gun safety technologies, such as fingerprint-responsive mechanisms and GPS trackers. These technologies could make it easier for law enforcement to tell when guns are missing or stolen.
However, they could also stoke fears of the federal government keeping tabs on gun owners, as some state governments do.
