U.S. President Barrack Obama is turning to technology to address the ever-growing problem of gun violence in his country.
Obama on Monday ordered the departments of Defense, Justice and Homeland Security to study Smart gun technology to determine if it would be a viable option in addressing mass shootings and other types of gun violence.
The agencies have been given 90 days to study the technology that includes such things as fingerprint and radio-frequency identification enabling tracking of lost and stolen firearms. Ultimately, the goal of such technology is to ensure only authorized users could pull the trigger.
The President also told the three agencies to review the availability of Smart gun technology on a regular basis, and to look into ways to further its use and development to improve gun safety.
Obama, who first began talking about the idea over the holiday weekend, says in a memo that “developing and promoting technology that would help prevent these tragedies is an urgent priority.”
The White House yesterday released an executive gun control fact sheet, outlining Obama’s plan.
“Gun violence has taken a heartbreaking toll on too many communities across the country,” the fact sheet reads. “Over the past decade in America, more than 100,000 people have been killed as a result of gun violence—and millions more have been the victim of assaults, robberies, and other crimes involving a gun. Many of these crimes were committed by people who never should have been able to purchase a gun in the first place. Over the same period, hundreds of thousands of other people in our communities committed suicide with a gun and nearly half a million people suffered other gun injuries. Hundreds of law enforcement officers have been shot to death protecting their communities. And too many children are killed or injured by firearms every year, often by accident.”
The president is slated to talk about his plans and gun violence in general at a nationally televised meeting at George Mason University Thursday night.
Obama’s new initiative has elicited both praise from other politicians and activists and criticism from gun rights advocates.
Jennifer Cowan is the Managing Editor for SiteProNews.
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