On May 9th, The Washington Post editorial board argued that New Jersey needs to enact a “Smart Gun” mandate that has been waiting for implementation “for more than a decade.”
The mandate is a 2002 New Jersey law which will require that the state’s gun dealers sell only smart guns once a viable smart gun is available for retail sale. The law says that once such a gun is available, “no other type of handgun shall be sold or offered for sale by any registered or licensed firearms dealer in the state.”
The WAPO editorial board believes the Armatix iP1 is the “viable” smart gun for which gun control advocates have been waiting, and they are worried that the backlash against the gun will cause New Jersey legislators to strike down the mandate instead of enforce it.
There are two problems with staking a claim on the Armatix iP1. Number one, this particular smart gun is only chambered in .22 long rifle and costs $1,800 per gun. Is a cost-prohibitive gun in such a small caliber really “viable”?
Number two, the gun is not available for retail sale. It has been almost available twice–at California’s Oak Tree Gun Club and Maryland’s Engage Armament–but in both instances the gun was pulled because of the public outcry.
As Breitbart News reported on May 4, Americans still view smart guns as a dumb option. And that’s the same way they view a mandate that will essentially force gun owners to pay $1,800 for a .22 caliber pistol if they need a gun for self defense.
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
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