Signature weapon

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A signature weapon ( smart gun ) is a firearm that can only be fired by an authorized person. This safety function can prevent improper use by third parties. While the concept for such weapons has been known for a long time and has been portrayed repeatedly in popular culture , especially in action films , such prototypes have only been around for a few years.

functionality

Signature weapons are protected by an access authorization, which is mainly based on electronic circuits. For example, biometric data or PIN procedures can be used for this. It is also possible to implant a Verichip under the skin of the gun owner, but this has been heavily criticized by data protectionists. Other authorization methods are RFID chips and magnetic rings. The latter have already become practical. In order for electronics to prevent unauthorized firing of a signature weapon, there must be an interface between the safety electronics and the weapon mechanics.

Systems with RFID identification are already available on the market, such as that from Armatix, in which the chip is integrated in a wristwatch that unlocks the weapon.

In autumn 2012, a new approach was introduced with the Würkner Personal Weapon Lock (WPW Lock), which opens up a new approach to solving the problem based on the logic that a weapon only belongs in the hand or holster of its owner . WPW-Lock is based on the following principle. The weapon is unlocked by an unlocking element (key, RFID, barcode, etc.) and this active state is maintained by a grip sensor (mechanical lever, any electronic sensor such as ultrasound ) as long as the weapon is continuously held in the hand. The advantage of this approach is that it can also be implemented purely mechanically, that electronic solutions cannot be disturbed by jamming and that it extremely increases the safety when handling weapons, since every weapon that is stored or stolen is automatically and permanently blocked immediately.

Legislation and Policy

Germany

In Germany, as part of an amendment to the Weapons Act in the wake of the Winnenden killing spree, the Federal Ministry of the Interior was empowered to prescribe “the equipping of firearms with mechanical, electronic or biometric security systems” by means of a statutory ordinance with the consent of the Federal Council (Section 36 (5) No. 3 WaffG of 25 July 2009). At the moment there are no plans for such an ordinance from the Ministry of the Interior, which is not least due to the low availability of such systems.

Nevertheless, the way to such a gun security seems to be taken in Germany. This is suggested by the statements of the political groups in the German Bundestag on weapons personalization, which were given by the spokesmen for weapons law in the Interior Committee of the German Bundestag at the beginning of 2013 on the occasion of the availability of WPW-Lock:

  • CDU / CSU: Günter Lach Member of the Bundestag: “Basically, I am open to technical possibilities that increase safety when handling and storing weapons. This can be done in the form of weapon locks or [...] through personalization. "
  • CSU: Stephan Mayer Member of the Bundestag: "A legally prescribed personalization of firearms can certainly represent an additional gain in security for the general public."
  • FDP: Serkan Tören Member of the Bundestag: "Supplementary security systems for weapons can certainly make a contribution to increasing the security of the population."
  • SPD: Gabriele Fograscher Member of the Bundestag: “The SPD parliamentary group is basically open to any innovation that leads to more safety when handling weapons and reduces the possibility of abuse. You have also correctly noted that in the hearing of the Bundestag's interior committee on gun law, a large majority was in favor of the personalization of firearms. " Daniela Kolbe MP:" You are right that there is general approval within the SPD parliamentary group for personalization of Firearms exist, provided that the technical implementation works without problems. "
  • Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen parliamentary group: Wolfgang Wieland Member of the Bundestag: “The individualization of a firearm by technical means sounds very promising in terms of the most effective possible protection against firearms abuse. […] As a result, approaches to make firearms technically so safe that misuse by third parties can almost be ruled out are thoroughly welcome and, in certain contexts, also sustainable. [...] The Green parliamentary group is very open to proposals for technical security of weapons. "
  • Die Linke: Frank Tempel Member of the Bundestag: “Repressing the threat posed by firearms has been a concern of the left-wing group for years. [...] Here we aim, among other things, at a significantly more difficult access to weapons and ammunition by unauthorized persons. […] Before shooting amok, legal weapons often end up in the hands of unauthorized persons (mostly family members of sport shooters). The concept of personalized, mechanical security would make sense for such cases [...]. "

European Union

In the European Union, too, the path towards weapons personalization seems to have been taken. On October 21, 2013, the European Commission published a document through Commissioner Cecilia Malmström in which Article 4.2. It reads as follows: “The Commission will work with the firearms industry to find technological solutions (such as biometric sensors on firearms that store personal data) so that acquired firearms can only be used by their rightful owners. It will carry out a detailed cost-benefit analysis and examine whether such security features of "intelligent weapons" should be made mandatory for firearms legally sold in the EU. "

United States of America

In the USA, the two states of New Jersey and Maryland have already passed precautionary laws on the personalization of firearms as part of the technology waiting legislation, which will take effect as soon as a reliable system is on the market, and there have already been similar initiatives up to Congress level. So far, the implementation and other initiatives have failed due to the lack of technical solutions. Although there is opposition to such technologies through the National Rifle Association , this is comparatively weak and difficult to argue for.

In any case, smart arm technologies do not contradict the 2nd Amendment to the United States Constitution and therefore gun personalization also seems to be a way out for politics, as reactions to spectacular cases of gun abuse such as the Newtown rampage show. In relation to this, Vice-President Joe Biden , who was entrusted by President Barack Obama with the management of the Weapons Security Task Force , said that such technologies would have changed a lot in this case, and President Obama in his "Executive 15." urged his Attorney General to check the availability of new security technologies for To investigate weapons and to encourage the industry to develop more such technologies.

criticism

The electronically controlled firing mechanism of a weapon could be manipulated by high-performance microwaves, thus preventing third parties from using it by the authorized person. Wolfgang Dicke, representative for weapons technology and weapons law at the police union , therefore fears that signature weapons are unsuitable for use by the police and that the development of such weapons threatens to become a “dead end”. Thus, in the event of a fault in the security electronics, firing the weapon is generally prohibited in a civilian environment, while it is generally released in a professional environment, for example in the police or military.

Gun lawyers and the National Rifle Association of the United States criticize the fact that signature weapons are used to control gun owners. The Violence Policy Center fears that signature weapons will turn the weapon into an everyday item because they suggest security.

In the case of the iP1 model from the German weapon manufacturer Armatix , the signature function, which is implemented via radio between the weapon and a smartwatch, was overcome with a hack: On the one hand, the radio signals were decrypted so that the weapon remained secured by an interference signal or unauthorized persons e.g. B. could have used the weapon after a theft, on the other hand, with a strong magnet, the weapon could still be fired.

reception

This type of weapon received public attention in 2012 when it was used in the movie James Bond 007: Skyfall . Already in the 1989 film James Bond 007 - License to Kill , a signature weapon in the form of a 500 series camera from Hasselblad , which was titled with the term “signature weapon”, could be seen. Signature weapons were also used in film productions such as Westworld , Judge Dredd or Shoot 'Em Up .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Violence Policy Center: The False Hope of the "Smart" Gun
  2. ↑ a b Financial Times Deutschland : James Bond "Skyfall": In Tüftliger Mission ( Memento from May 1, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), Panorama / Kultur, Siegfried Tesche, November 4, 2012
  3. ↑ a b c d e Wolfgang Dicke: News in the field of weapons and equipment , Police Union (PDF; 80 kB), Federal Executive, Commissioner for Weapons Technology and Weapons Law, Hilden , September 29, 2005, p. 3f
  4. ^ No Chip in Arm, No Shot From Gun , Wired , Palm Beach, Florida, Associated Press, April 14, 2004
  5. ↑ Guns Magazine: State of the Smart Gun , Massad Ayoob
  6. ↑ Shooting Industry: Selling Safety Priority # 1 , 2000
  7. ^ Smart Lock Technology Inc .: Magloc Smart Gun Conversion System , August 20, 2007
  8. ↑ Smart System , Armatix GmbH
  9. ↑ Würkner personnel-Weapon-lock, locking device for firearms , WPW Lock, September 2012
  10. ↑ Weapons Act : Section 36 (5) No. 3 WaffG , with the amendment of July 25, 2009
  11. ↑ a b The political environment as well as opinions on securing weapons through personalization on the occasion of the availability of WPW-Lock , WPW-Lock, political feedback, March 2013
  12. ↑ European Commission: Firearms and the Internal Security of the EU: Protecting Citizens and Stopping Illegal Trade ( Memento of December 24, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), published on October 21, 2013
  13. ↑ Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence: Personalized & Owner-Authorized Firearms Policy Summary , webpage from Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, San Francisco, USA
  14. ^ New Jersey Smart Gun Legislation Enacted , FOX News Network, LLC, December 23, 2002, Associated Press
  15. ↑ Archive version: NRA's position on so-called smart guns… , NRA-ILA statement, The Winning Team, 10/1/98 published by NRA-Members
  16. ↑ Business Insider: Joe Biden Floated Support For New Gun Technology That He Thinks Could Have 'Changed Something' In Newtown , New York City, Jan. 12, 2013, 2:50 PM, by Brett LoGiurato
  17. ↑ Now is the time, gun violence reduction executive actions ( Memento of December 7, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), Weisses Haus (PDF; 130 kB), USA, White House publication of January 16, 2013
  18. ↑ Steve Friess: NRA: Smart Guns Are Plain Stupid , Wired , Reno, Nevada, April 30, 2002
  19. ↑ Security of a smart pistol cracked , report from July 29, 2017 on heise.de , accessed on July 31, 2017
  20. ↑ a b Happy Birthday: James Bond turns 50 , Der Tagesspiegel , photo gallery, October 4, 2012
  21. ↑ Interview with Siegfried Tesche, Carolin Ströbele: James Bond: The Special Effects of Her Majesty , Die Zeit , October 30, 2012, p. 2
  22. ↑ Tobias Winzer: How realistic are James Bond films? , Mitteldeutsche Zeitung , film, November 4, 2008
  23. ↑ Review: License to Kill (1989) , online film database , vodkamartini, November 1, 2011
  24. ↑ Siegfried Tesche: The best quotes from James Bond films: For speeches, e-mails, guest books, for pleasure and for knowledge . Arcadia Publishing, 2009, ISBN 3-86910-007-9 ( limited preview in Google Book Search).

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