Daniel Trotta

(Reuters) – After two decades of uncertainty about their reliability, and the concerns that they would bring in a new wave government regulation, personalized smart guns may be finally available for American consumers.

LodeStar Works, a four-year-old company in Boise (Idaho), unveiled Friday its smart 9mm handgun to investors and shareholders. SmartGunz LLC from Kansas has announced that its similar product is being beta tested by law enforcement agencies.

Both companies are hopeful of making a commercially viable product by the end of this year.

Gareth Glaser, founder of LodeStar said that he became inspired by the many horror stories of children being shot with unattended guns. The technology used by smart guns to identify the owner and deactivate any attempts at firing it could prevent such tragic events.

They can also be used to reduce suicide attempts, make stolen and lost firearms useless and provide safety for officers in jail and police who fear gun grabs.

But attempts to develop smart guns have stalled: Smith & Wesson got hit with a boycott, a German company’s product was hacked, and a New Jersey law aimed at promoting smart guns has raised the wrath of defenders of the Second Amendment.

The LodeStar gun, aimed at first-time buyers, would retail for $895.

There has been no other reporting of LodeStar guns being fired before Reuters cameras. The weapon was fired by a range officer in different settings, without any problems.

Glaser recognized that there are additional difficulties in large-scale production, but expressed optimism that technology had advanced sufficiently and microelectronics within the gun were well-protected.

Glaser stated, “We feel that we are at the point when… Let’s Go Public.” “We’re there.”

The first prototypes of smart guns used fingerprint unlocking and radio frequency identification technology. This allows the gun to fire when it communicates with another chip on the bracelet or ring.

LodeStar included a fingerprint reader as well as a near-field communication chips activated through a mobile app. A gun can be authorized by more than one person.

Although the fingerprint reader can unlock the gun within a few seconds, it is not able to work in wet conditions or other difficult circumstances. The PIN pad acts as an additional backup. LodeStar didn’t demonstrate near-field communications, but this would serve as a backup and allow the gun to be opened as fast as the users are able.

SmartGunz will not reveal which law enforcement agencies have been testing its weapons. They are protected by radio frequency ID. SmartGunz designed a model for law enforcement that sells for $1,795 and civilians for $2,195, according to Tom Holland, a Kansas Democratic State Senator who co-founded it in 2020.

Biofire, a Colorado company is working on a smart gun that can read fingerprints.

Skeptics have argued that smart guns are too risky for a person trying to protect a home or family during a crisis, or for police in the field.

According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade organization for the firearms industry, smart guns are not prohibited as long as they’re not mandated by the government.

Lawrence Keane is senior vice president at the NSSF.

Guns coming to market could trigger a 2019 New Jersey law requiring all gun shops in the state to offer smart guns after they become available. This law replaces a 2002 law which would have prohibited the sale of handguns other than smart guns.

“The other side tipped their hand because they used smart guns to ban everything that’s not a smart gun,” said Scott Bach, executive director of the Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs. It woke up gun owners.

When Smith & Wesson pledged in 1999 to promote smart gun development, among other gun safety measures in an agreement with the U.S. government, the National Rifle Association sponsored a boycott that led to a drop in revenue.

Armatix in Germany released a smart pistol with.22 caliber capacity on the market in 2014. But hackers managed to jam its radio signals remotely and fire the gun using magnets.