Co-owner Andy Raymond of Engage Armament in Rockville, a suburb in Washington, told Chicago Tribune on Friday that he had to drop his plan to be the first to sell a "smart gun" in the US after he received threats for planning to do so, which include death threats. He added that he was open to the possibility of selling units of the Armatix iP1 .22-caliber handgun, which limits the ability to fire the weapon electronically until the threats came. Raymond said he decided to drop his plan in order to protect his business.
"I can't have my shop burned down. I have people to look out for," Raymond told the newspaper.
Raymond already announced on his Facebook page that he has backed off planned sales of the German-made smart gun.
The Chicago Tribune said that the gun has an electronic chip implanted that is being commanded by an accompanying watch, which is used to fire the gun via radio signal. The gun will not fire if the watch has been moved over 10 inches. It is not known in the report whether the watch could be adjusted according to the owner's specifications.
According to gun rights activists, the smart gun violates the right to bear arms provision of the US Constitution's Second Amendment. Opponents had fears that the smart gun sales could trigger states to adopt a New Jersey law, which requires all sold guns to be equipped with smart technology within three years following its availability.
Raymond was not the only person or entity who had attempted to sell smart guns. Plans of the Oak Tree Gun Club near Los Angeles to sell smart guns this year were thwarted when it received protests and threats also from gun advocates. Later on, the owners of the gun club had denied that it had the intention of selling the smart guns, The Chicago Tribune said.
