The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Another "Smart Gun" Bill, but what about Manufacturers Liabilities?

Dashunde · February 20, 2014, 09:13 AM

The latest Smart Gun bill got me thinking about any possible legal benefits for manufacturers, reducing prices and allowing us to buy things as we wish instead of what is mandated?

Instead of attempting to require smart technology, why not seek liability exemptions/relief for manufacturers who produce them, thereby enabling the Smart Gun to be sold at or around the same price as current guns, and let the market grow from there?

The highly popular line of XD's (and similar) clearly show that a good number of us like guns with extra safety items built in, so it wouldn’t surprise me at all if a fingerprint reading pistol would be a big seller.

I don’t know what the current liability burden really is for gun makers (that’s why this thread is here), but it must play a significant roll on its retail price like almost every other object?
Is there room for laws of liability exemption?

I currently keep my nightstand pistol in a Gunvault... I would much rather have the same gun model left out open in the drawer awaiting my (or wife) finger prints to bring it alive.
But a nightstand gun is the only gun I'd want that way because its simply a trade-off... locked box with gun inside traded for easy access to locked gun.

Added for clarity...
This thread is not intended to discuss whether or not you or I like smart guns or think they'd be reliable.
(Althought I think they'd be just as reliable as the keypad safe it would otherwise be kept for my purposes)
Its about whether or not a manufacturer could find some liability relief for those products to better offset additional expense allowing that market to grow, or not, with market demand rather than government demands

February 20, 2014, 09:13 AM	#1
Dashunde Senior Member Join Date: December 22, 2004 Posts: 2,018	Another "Smart Gun" Bill, but what about Manufacturers Liabilities? The latest Smart Gun bill got me thinking about any possible legal benefits for manufacturers, reducing prices and allowing us to buy things as we wish instead of what is mandated? Instead of attempting to require smart technology, why not seek liability exemptions/relief for manufacturers who produce them, thereby enabling the Smart Gun to be sold at or around the same price as current guns, and let the market grow from there? The highly popular line of XD's (and similar) clearly show that a good number of us like guns with extra safety items built in, so it wouldn’t surprise me at all if a fingerprint reading pistol would be a big seller. I don’t know what the current liability burden really is for gun makers (that’s why this thread is here), but it must play a significant roll on its retail price like almost every other object? Is there room for laws of liability exemption? I currently keep my nightstand pistol in a Gunvault... I would much rather have the same gun model left out open in the drawer awaiting my (or wife) finger prints to bring it alive. But a nightstand gun is the only gun I'd want that way because its simply a trade-off... locked box with gun inside traded for easy access to locked gun. Added for clarity... This thread is not intended to discuss whether or not you or I like smart guns or think they'd be reliable. (Althought I think they'd be just as reliable as the keypad safe it would otherwise be kept for my purposes) Its about whether or not a manufacturer could find some liability relief for those products to better offset additional expense allowing that market to grow, or not, with market demand rather than government demands Last edited by Dashunde; February 20, 2014 at 12:19 PM.