Armatix iP1

Armatix iP1

Armatix iP1 handgun and iW1 RFID active wrist watch
Type Smart gun
Place of origin  Germany
Service history
In service 2014
Used by Germany, USA
Production history
Designer Armatix
Designed 2006
Manufacturer Armatix GmbH
Specifications
Weight 518 grams (without magazine)The iW1 controls the handgun through radio-frequency identification (RFID).
Length 175 mm[1]

The Armatix iP1 or iP1 is a .22-calibre magazine-fed, recoil-operated, semi-automatic smart handgun designed and manufactured by the German company Armatix. The Armatix iP1 is marketed as a James Bond-style handgun that fulfills the technical criteria for safer gun laws in the US and Germany.[2]

Specifications

The Armatix iP1 weighs 518 grams (18.3 oz) without a loaded magazine. The pistol is chambered in .22 LR caliber and is fed via a 10-round detachable box magazine with an effective fire range of 75 yards (69 m). Other features of the handgun include an electronic magazine disconnect, color coded safety, integrated grip safety, and an interface for additional applications such as a camera.[3]

The iP1 handgun and the W1 Active RFID watch form a smart system in which both parts communicate through radio-frequency identification (RFID).[4] In order for the handgun to function, the matching watch must be within 10 inches (25 cm) of it.[3] The Armatix iP1 cannot be used without the matching iW1 Active RFID wrist watch.[5][6][7][8]

The wrist watch indicates, among other data, the charge level of the watch and the handgun and the number of shots fired within a given time frame. In addition, the watch can deactivate the firearm by means of a time-control feature. The Target Response System (TRS) can be controlled to fire only toward a recognized target or “permitted” target, and the handgun cannot be fired if it is aimed away from the target. This Target Control module is an optional feature.[9]

Reception

Attempts to market the iP1 in the United States have been met with opposition from gun rights organizations such as the National Rifle Association; in 2002, the state of New Jersey passed a Childproof Handgun Law intended to eventually mandate that all guns sold in the state be smart guns. The law will take effect "three years after it is determined that personalized handguns are available for retail purposes"; as such, gun rights lobbyists have contended that attempts to market a smart gun in the country would trigger the law. In March 2014, the California-based Oak Tree Gun Club was criticized for making the iP1 available at its shop, with lobbyists citing the New Jersey law, and arguing that its owners were acting against U.S. citizens' Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms. Despite evidence to the contrary, the club denied that it had even offered the gun.[10][11][12]

Similar threats, including death threats, were received in May 2014 by an owner of Engage Armaments in Maryland. He too also backed down on selling the gun, arguing that the pro-gun lobby groups' actions were hypocritical, as they "are not supposed to say a gun should be prohibited. Then you are being no different than the anti-gun people who say an AR-15 should be prohibited."[13]

References

  1. ↑ iP1 SmartSystem – Personalized (Instruction Manual). Armatix U.S.A., Inc. p. 76.
  2. ↑ "For your hands only: Bond-style ‘smart gun’ controlled solely by owner is now real". RT. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Armatix iP1 pistol". Armatix. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  4. ↑ "ARMATIX iW1 active RFID watch". Armatix. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  5. ↑ Jones, Ashby (November 20, 2013). "New iP1 Pistol May Trigger Old Gun Law in New Jersey". The Wall Street Journal.
  6. ↑ "Kill switches and safety catches". The Economist. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  7. ↑ "Could technology be the gun control of 2014?". MSNBC. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  8. ↑ "‘We need the iPhone of guns’: Will smart guns transform the gun industry?". The Washington Post. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  9. ↑ "ARMATIX IS PRESENTING THE FUTURE OF THE WEAPON. NOW". Armatix. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  10. ↑ "Gun control: the NRA wants to take America's smart guns away". The Verge. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
  11. ↑ Pearce, Jeremy (12 January 2003). "Smart Guns, A Clever Bit of Legislating". New York Times. Retrieved 12 January 2003.
  12. ↑ Rosenwald, Michael S. (6 March 2014). "Calif. store backs away from smart guns after outcry from 2nd Amendment activists". The Washington Post.
  13. ↑ Rosenwald, Michael S. (1 May 2014). "Maryland dealer, under pressure from gun-rights activists, drops plan to sell smart gun". The Washington Post. Retrieved 8 May 2014.

External links