For the past 20 years, technicians have been working hard to create solutions for gun safety challenges, and their efforts are keeping pace with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, sensor technology, wearables and IoT technology development, however, if not stagnant Not long ago, their implementation progressed slowly. I want to see the pain points in this trajectory and how and when it can move forward. I also talked to someone who believes that the blockchain can solve some of the back-end structural challenges: Kevin Barnes, founder of the Blocksafe Foundation, who is also a 20-year US Army veteran and architect and coder, but first, before we explore the inclusion of the blockchain, let's delve into the guns, the smart gun is a A firearm that includes security features or features that can only be fired when activated by an authorized user. These security features prevent misuse, accidental shooting, firearm theft, weapon use by the user, and self-harm. Smart guns vary in several ways. Ways to distinguish between authorized and unauthorized users, including the use of RFID chips or other proximity tokens, fingerprinting, Wearable device or mechanical lock.

The strange history of smart guns

For those of us who are born outside the United States, it is hard to imagine the idea that the development of smart guns is frustrated by political and political lobbying, and that their introduction will lead to potential concerns about tighter gun control, but this is Strange reality, in 1999, gunners Smith and Wesson promised the Clinton White House to develop smart guns. Only adults with them could fire these guns. As part of the responsibility agreement, the gun hall organized a boycott of Smith & Wesson, in gun control. On the agenda, perceived smart guns and other concessions, factory closures, and employee dismissal. For some time, large American manufacturers have avoided smart guns. The reason for the boycott is that smart guns will soon become the only guns that people are allowed to buy. Invasion of individual rights, Gunmakers Colt received a $500,000 grant from the Ministry of Justice in 1997 to complete the development of pistols. The pistol can be used with RFID via a wristband. Smith and Wesson received more than $3 million in funding from the Department of Justice between 2000 and 2004 to develop smart guns for law enforcement. The prototype has been completed, but no one uses them. Smith & Wesson had to lay off 15% of employees because of the boycott. In 2014, when the Engage Armament of Washington shared their intention to sell the German Armatix iP1.22 caliber pistol, the pistol electronically limited the ability to launch weapons. Thousands of complaints and threats of violence and death forced them to reconsider their decision. The Armatix gun was implanted with an electronic chip that was fired only when the shooter wore a watch that communicated with it via radio signals. If the gun moves more than 10 inches from the watch, it will not fire.

In New Jersey, legislators passed a 2002 law that required guns to be "smart" after three years of market sales. The three-year countdown never began, in part because gun rights activists did not develop technology for manufacturers. pressure.

Solving gun safety challenges with blockchain

“The lack of proper infrastructure for proper use of smart gun technology limits access to law enforcement,” Barnes said. “They have video recordings. Some people try to use sound sensors to monitor firearm discharges in the city, but if they are not unbreakable The decentralized infrastructure, IoT devices like smart devices on the gun, have too many security risks, and Blocksafe aims to address this major obstacle. According to Barnes, blockchain-based systems can be enabled, disabled, Tracking and protecting guns without any centralized control or reporting, Blocksafe is primarily a software-based project that provides infrastructure to support smart device hardware that manufacturers and 3D printing projects use to enhance the safety and defense capabilities of firearms. It is a peer-to-peer network using a combination of lisk, BitTorrent and Telehash. From a basic point of view, Blocksafe “shotspot” technology will sense and record the details of the Blocksafe ledger when the gun is fired. The notification is sent to the emergency personnel at the same time. "guns" work together to check Positioning and responding to gun discharges. When the smart device is initially set up, the owner sets up Bluetooth authentication through the Blocksafe app. All authorized users are added by the device owner and stored in the local ledger. The verification method may be due to the device and the manufacturer. The gun round count and authentication attempt parameters are stored in real time along with other data (such as date, time, and location) that the device owner chooses to record, using encryption to the device's local ledger, when the device has Internet access, the classification The account will be synced to the network, and the device owner will receive notifications such as push, SMS or email configured by the device settings selected by the owner. The data is encrypted by the data key on the network, so only those who have the device owner data In order to view the actual device activity, "The purpose of the network is to support the functionality of the smart device on the network, such as recording activities and remote management that only the device owner can do," Barnes explained. "For example, you can use intelligence on the gun." Lock and use the Blocksafe app to alert you An unauthorized emissions, which will help equipment owners to control the use of firearms and location. "

How to lock and not load

The technology will include locks mounted on guns, Barnes said they are developing custom prototypes of smart devices, but they are more concerned with developing and maintaining Blocksafe networks and infrastructure, and Blocksafe will provide SDKs, APIs and support for other manufacturers. To use the Blocksafe network, "the bet is too high for a third-party solution that can be cracked and controlled," Barnes said. "We believe that an anonymous, secure and decentralized infrastructure must be built to reduce Gang activities, looking for stolen guns and preventing guns from being used against owners, these advanced features can save lives and our right to self-defense," Barnes said in an interview with the Smart Technology Foundation to discuss opportunities for collaboration, though It seems impossible for smart guns to directly replace traditional guns, unless the legislature is stronger than the lobbyists, but the fact is that they can greatly improve the safety of guns.