In January 2016, as
part of the administration’s ongoing efforts to combat gun violence, President
Obama directed the Departments of Justice (DOJ), Homeland Security (DHS) and
Defense (DOD) to develop a research and development strategy to expedite real-world
deployment of advanced gun safety technology.
In April 2016, the three agencies submitted a report to the president
that outlined a multi-pronged plan to expand and encourage the development of
“smart gun” technology. Among other
things, the report described a four-step process whereby DOJ and DHS would
develop baseline specifications that defined, for the first time, the minimum
technical requirements that law enforcement agencies expect from smart
guns. Step one of the process called for
the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) – DOJ’s research, development and
evaluation agency – to assemble a team of firearms experts at DOJ and DHS that
would prepare a draft list of baseline specifications by July 15, 2016. NIJ has now completed this step of the process.
Today, NIJ is issuing for public comment a draft version of
these baseline specifications. NIJ is
soliciting input on the document from a broad range of stakeholders—from
academics to advocates; engineers to entrepreneurs. In addition to seeking public comment, NIJ is
hosting a two-day convening of federal, state and local law enforcement
agencies in mid-August to review and discuss the draft specifications. Based on this feedback, DOJ and DHS will
revise the specifications as appropriate and finalize the document for
publication.
These voluntary baseline specifications are designed to
provide clear guidance to private industry so that manufacturers can develop
technology that meets the needs of law enforcement officers, particularly with
regards to reliability, durability and accuracy. As the April 2016 report makes clear, this
process is designed to spur the development of new technology, not to mandate
that any particular individual or law enforcement agency adopt the technology
once it is developed. By establishing
clear technical and engineering standards, this process is designed to ensure
that any smart gun technology available to law enforcement agencies is safe and
reliable. Moreover, by engaging law
enforcement experts and a broad range of stakeholders throughout this process,
NIJ hopes to produce a final document that both reflects the exacting demands
of law enforcement officers and advances the president’s goal of expediting the
real-world deployment of smart gun technology.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment