Gun control advocates frustrated by the failure of Capitol Hill and state legislatures to act have set their sights on a new way to bring about longed-for regulatory reforms: the free market.
A coalition of 59 police departments, local governing agencies and even members of the clergy have banded together to pressure gun manufacturers into using “smart gun” technology, CBS’s New York City affiliate reported.
“We want to use the power of the marketplace — the power of the free market,” New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson told CBS.
The campaign, called “Do Not Stand Idly By,” pushes for manufacturers to include the technology on weapons they sell to local police departments. Military and police firearms purchases account for nearly half of the nation’s $11.7 billion industry, CBS reported.
The group has also requested that Glock and six other major gun makers “produce distribution records” of their firearms, CBS reported. The campaign has reportedly received a “warm reception” from Ruger, but resistance from Glock and Beretta.
Smart gun technology is hailed by gun-control advocates because it supposedly ensures that only the rightful owner might fire the weapon, while some critics counter the technology could be used by governments as a means of cracking down on Second Amendment rights, both in the short- and long-term.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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