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Trigger Smart Gun Technology

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The Epidemic
How would you react if you were informed that there was a cancer which, according to research conducted by Vox, from 2001-2013 has killed more United States Citizens than AIDs, illegal drug overdose, war, and terrorism combined? A vast majority would search for a cure the ailment, fight for justice for the victims, and seek to ensure that the epidemic was contained. It is an unfortunate truth that such a cancer exists in society today. We have tried to treat it, to avoid it, and in the end, we have swept it under the rug as an aspect of daily life. This cancer has no elaborate medical terminology, it is a simple two-word phrase that many of us are well acquainted with: Gun Violence. It is imperative that the people of this …show more content…

Officially patented in March of 2012, Trigger-Smart gun technology is simple. It requires a form of identification before it can discharge. Huffington post published an article exploring the many functionalities of Trigger-Smart technologies, examples include a watch which sends a signal out only ten inches, requiring that the user wears the watch on the wrist of the hand in question, or a biometric lock system, requiring the scanning of a fingerprint of the user. It was developed as a technology which would combat crimes committed by criminals who have stolen guns as well as prevent accidental shootings where a child might obtain and unintentionally discharge a …show more content…

While research into the subject is crucial for the development of programs to help protect the mentally afflicted from themselves as well as others, technologies such as Trigger-Smart firearms can help protect potential victims of suicide. According to the New York Times, in this state of Wyoming, the unfortunate record for most suicides committed per capita is held at a rate of 30 out of 100 thousand as opposed to national average of 12.6 in 2012. The issue is heavily prevalent among teenagers, and the state of their mental health is a largely determining factor in their likelihood to commit suicide. As a matter of fact, according to Child Trends, more than 90 percent of children and adolescents who committed suicide had some type of mental disorder. Many would argue that those suffering from mental disorders should not have access to a firearm in the first place; however, this does not mean that the family of a depressed individual should sacrifice their right to bear arms and protect themselves from threats foreign and domestic. In acquiring a Trigger-Smart firearm, suicidal teenagers will not be enabled to inflict damage via gun violence on themselves nearly as easily, which would be a dramatic decrease in the use of home acquired firearms used in suicides. The numbers on such a subject are worrisome, in fact, according to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun

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