Giffords Applauds Senate Introduction of Bill to Help Develop Gun Safety Technology
Gun safety technology helps keep guns out of the hands of children and other unauthorized users
June 19, 2019— Giffords, the gun violence prevention organization founded and led by former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, praised the introduction of the Start Advancing Firearms Enhancements and Technology (SAFETY) Act by Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) today. The SAFETY ACT provides tax incentives to small businesses for the development of gun safety technology and encourages consumers to buy firearms that utilize new breakthroughs in safety. Congressman Jim Himes (D-CT) introduced the SAFETY Act in the House of Representatives in February.
Gun safety technology includes personalized guns and accessories such as gun safes, trigger locks, and retrofit kits which help keep firearms out of the hands of unauthorized users. Personalized guns let owners control who accesses their gun using biometric security methods, such as fingerprint sensors, and radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology, which uses radio waves to identify objects. Personalized accessories, like a fingerprint trigger lock, add an extra layer of security to gun safes or locks. When used with traditional guns, they offer a similar level of security to personalized guns.
“Technological innovation has made countless products we use safer, yet entrepreneurs who want to make firearms safer repeatedly run into gun lobby roadblocks,” said Robin Lloyd, Managing Director at Giffords. “A comprehensive strategy to reduce gun injuries and deaths needs gun safety technology to help prevent firearm suicides and accidental shootings which occur when someone gets their hands on a gun in the home which doesn’t belong to them. With the gun violence epidemic showing no signs of slowing, we need to encourage the production of new gun safety technology designs and bring them to market. We’re grateful for Senator Murphy’s leadership and urge the Senate to swiftly pass this bill.”
Every year, more than 8,300 children in the United States receive emergency room treatment for gun-related injuries, with 39% being unintentional. Of the approximately 400 million guns in the US, an estimated 400,000 are stolen annually. 80% of stolen firearms are never recovered, and 10-15% are later used in crimes. A Giffords Law Center report found that gun safety technology can help reduce these numbers by preventing gun suicide and stopping unintentional shootings, including by protecting the 4.6 million kids who live in homes with locked and unloaded guns and reducing the 400,000 gun thefts that happen every year.
Resources:
- Giffords Law Center Report: Securing A Safer Future
- Giffords Law Center: Gun Safety Technology