Most Americans support ‘smart’ guns

Nearly 60 per cent of Americans are willing to purchase a childproof gun that is only operable in the hands of an authorised user, a new survey suggests, debunking the widely used argument by the gun lobby that there is no market for “smart” weapons.

In addition to high overall support, the survey found that four in 10 gun owners and 56 per cent of political conservatives surveyed are willing to purchase a smart gun, researchers said.

The findings of the research, led by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, are consistent with the growing national interest in using technology to reduce the toll of gun deaths in the US.

The findings contrast sharply from earlier estimates. Research from 2013, funded by the gun manufacturers’ trade association, suggested just 14 per cent of people would be willing to make their next handgun purchase a smart gun.

Proponents of smart guns say their widespread use would cut down on suicides, stolen or borrowed guns that go on to be used in crimes and accidental shootings by children.

The technology uses fingerprint or radio frequency identification (RFID) that only allows authorised people to fire a given handgun.

Objections from gun manufacturers and the gun lobby — including opposition to any requirements mandating the sale of smart over traditional guns — have kept them from being produced on a large scale, researchers said. Smart guns are not currently sold in the US.

“This has been one of the biggest arguments against smart guns, that people just don’t want them. This research shows otherwise,” said Julia A Wolfson, a Ph.D candidate in the department of health policy and management.

To examine public interest in purchasing smart guns, also known as childproof or personalised guns, the study team conducted a nationally representative, web-based survey in January 2015, getting responses from 3,949 people.

The respondents were nearly evenly split among gun owners and those who do not own guns. About 59 per cent said they would to consider a childproof gun if they were to purchase a new weapon.

More than twice as many gun owners said they would be willing to purchase a childproof gun than would be unwilling.

The guns were most supported by political liberals (71 per cent), but support was also high among political moderates (56 per cent) and conservatives (56 per cent).

The technology to make guns smart is already being used in other products. Some smartphones can be unlocked by the user’s unique thumbprint.