While no accidental firearms fatality is acceptable, these results demonstrate the value of education and training as well as the safety of existing firearms products. Gun manufacturers like Colt have long researched and added safety features to their weapons. Many of the features in today's guns have been tested over decades to insure that firearms perform as expected and with the necessary safeguards and protections for the user. Even with current technology, guns are safe if handled with common sense and established safety precautions. Colt's Manufacturing is excited by the possible merger of electronics onto the traditional mechanical platform which comprise today's guns.
Electromechanical configurations seem like a natural evolution of the small firearm.
Once electronics have been effectively married to firearms, improvements in safety, performance, and reliability could be imagined. Our company developed a 'smart gun' with our own funding in 1996. When energized, the gun emits a radio signal. A small transponder worn by the person authorized to use the gun receives this signal and returns a coded radio signal. When the gun hears that signal within a small region behind the gun, a blocking pin is removed from the trigger mechanism, enabling the gun to fire normally.