Much ink will be spilled in the next few weeks over the announcement of the 9 mm striker-fired Smart Gun, which represents the most fundamental change to the modern handgun in many decades. Only authorized users can unlock the Biofire Smart Gun with sophisticated fingerprint and facial recognition technology and fire it. It also deploys a cutting-edge electronic fire control system and has the computing power of a smartphone contained within its frame.
Already, a small but staunch contingent of gun owners has made it plain that they will never adopt such a firearm — they view any personal security device except traditional firearms counter to their worldview.
Everyone is entitled to their personal beliefs, but my own views are shaped by nearly 40 years in the armed services. The modern battlefield is totally unrecognizable from when I started my career. Yes, well-trained and well-resourced soldiers will always be key to success, but increasingly the side that possesses superior technology will have an added advantage. Superior technological tools in the form of intelligence, surveillance ability, and resource deployment speed heavily influence critical outcomes for combatants.
Thirty years ago, Operation Desert Storm was won because of our superior night vision abilities. Artificial intelligence was critical in paving the way for SEAL Team 6 to successfully carry out the raid on Osama bin Laden’s Abbottabad compound. Military leaders are long past the notion that brute force alone is sufficient to overwhelm and win. The American military now spends more than $100 billion every year for research, development, testing, and evaluation — in short, for technological advancement.
Similarly, innovations in the self-defense space have already shaped consumer choices for years. Smaller, lighter-weight handguns with polymer-based frames disrupted the marketplace decades ago now. Many modern gun owners now favor red dot sights because they enable shooters to get on target significantly more quickly. Biometric safes are now commonplace because they don’t require the owner to remember a code or find a key in a critical, stressful situation.
But until now, advancements like the one Biofire is now offering have previously been restricted to less critical aspects of firearms such as accessories or tweaks to the usability of a particular firearm rather than the internals of a firearm itself. The Smart Gun offers a fundamental leap forward in terms of safety, reliability, seamless experience and speed of access.
Just because this latest technological innovation hasn’t yet run through the consumer firearm industry doesn’t mean that it won’t – or that it shouldn’t. Smart Guns are here to stay, and it’s fine that they’re not for everyone. No firearm serves every purpose. But when it comes to defending yourself from external threats, to having instant and unfettered access to your home defense firearm, to securing your children and other members of your household from unnecessary risk, many of us will continue to adapt to the benefits that come from more advanced modern tools.
I have trusted and depended on many traditional firearms throughout my lifetime. At the same time, a significant factor in what makes any soldier successful — what has made me successful — is the ability to adapt to what’s faster and better. Criminals and thieves are already trying anything that can obtain a competitive advantage. Most modern gun owners will continue to do the same.
Lt. General Guy C. Swan III (ret.) is a 1976 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, and he holds a Master of Military Art and Science degree from the United States Army’s School of Advanced Military Studies. During more than thirty-five years of active service, General Swan commanded at every level through Army Service Component Command. He is the president of Swan and Associates, LLC, and a member of the board of directors of Biofire Technologies.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller.