The website for the much-touted Armatix iP1 “Smart Gun” shows the firearm is available in only .22 long rifle, and International Business Times reports its price is “a hefty $1,800.”
This presents two immediate problems: One, .22 long rifle is a measly round for self defense, and two, the price “is approximately three times the price of a Glock 17 [or model 19],” two of the most popular and dependable handguns in America.
These problems are magnified by a 2002 New Jersey law that mandates only smart guns can be sold in that state once a viable smart gun is available for retail sale. The law requires that “no other type of handgun shall be sold or offered for sale by any registered or licensed firearms dealer in this State.”
If the Armatix iP1 triggered the implementation of this law, it would mean New Jersey residents buying guns would be forced to buy a $1,800 pistol chambered in .22 long rifle.
Moreover, according to The Washington Post, it would be a gun for which other companies are already working to make “electronic markers” that render it inoperable within a given radius.
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.