A location-based firearm is a gun that uses electronic technologies such as

geofencing A geofence is a virtual perimeter for a real-world geographic area. A geofence could be dynamically generated (as in a radius around a point location) or match a predefined set of boundaries (such as school zones or neighborhood boundaries). Th ...

to restrict its firing to authorized locations, thereby allowing its use for protecting life and property in those locations while preventing its use in other locations for

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Ca ...

s such as

robberies Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or by use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the perso ...

drive-by shooting A drive-by shooting is a type of assault that usually involves the perpetrator(s) firing a weapon from within a motor vehicle and then fleeing. Drive-by shootings allow the perpetrator(s) to quickly strike their target and flee the scene before ...

s, assassinations, and

massacres A massacre is the killing of a large number of people or animals, especially those who are not involved in any fighting or have no way of defending themselves. A massacre is generally considered to be morally unacceptable, especially when per ...

History

The first locationized gun was invented by John Martin in 1984. Although locationized guns could prevent much crime and accompanying deaths and injuries, they have not been commercially developed. An important reason for that is because legislated restrictions would be required for conventional guns, and those restrictions would be difficult to pass in some markets.

Operating principles, advantages, and technologies

The main advantage of locationized guns is that they can satisfy the right to possess arms for defense of homes and businesses while being useless for many crimes that can be committed away from those homes and businesses. Other advantages of locationized guns depend on them having electronic circuitry and electronic control over firing. Those technologies make it relatively easy to design them to communicate with a

cellular Cellular may refer to: *Cellular automaton, a model in discrete mathematics * Cell biology, the evaluation of cells work and more * ''Cellular'' (film), a 2004 movie *Cellular frequencies, assigned to networks operating in cellular RF bands *Cell ...

or other

communication system A communications system or communication system is a collection of individual telecommunications networks, transmission systems, relay stations, tributary stations, and terminal equipment usually capable of interconnection and interoperat ...

to provide information or to be externally prevented from firing regardless of location. Using

GPS The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of the global navigation satellite sy ...

asset tracking Asset tracking refers to the method of tracking physical assets, either by scanning barcode labels attached to the assets or by using tags using GPS, BLE, LoRa, or RFID which broadcast their location. These technologies can also be used for indo ...

technology can allow a locationized gun to transmit a message through a cellular network to its owner if the gun is removed from its normal location. GPS tracking could then allow its location to be known by its owner and/or law enforcement to assist in recovery of the gun. Communications can allow police agencies to learn that a locationized gun is or was at a location of interest, thereby facilitating crime solving or allowing precautions to be taken before arriving at the location.

Police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...

agencies can also be automatically notified with information about when and where a locationized gun has been fired. Most importantly, police agencies would be able to prevent firing of the gun in the case of its

theft Theft is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal shorthand term for som ...

, a

police raid A police raid is an unexpected visit by police or other law-enforcement officers with the aim of using the element of surprise in order to seize evidence or arrest suspects believed to be likely to hide evidence, resist arrest, be politicall ...

shootout A shootout, also called a firefight or gunfight, is a fight between armed combatants using firearms. The term can be used to describe any such fight, though it is typically used to describe those that do not involve military forces or only invo ...

, threatened suicide, restraining order, etc.

Limited firing time: Early technology

A locationized gun of this type cannot be fired unless it has remained motionless for a relatively long time, e. g. 24 hours. Following that time period, there is only a relatively short time period that it can be fired after being picked up for use, e. g. 5 minutes. After its firing time period expires, it must undergo its motionless period again to allow firing. Consequently, the usefulness of this gun is restricted to locations relatively close to where it is kept, e.g. its owner's property. A demonstration model having timing and movement sensing circuitry was produced in 1989.

Restricted area of enabling signal reception: Later technologies

This type of locationized gun cannot be fired unless it is located within the range of a signal that enables firing of the gun. That signal is transmitted from a permanently or temporarily fixed location either by conductive cable or by wireless broadcast throughout the area where firing of the gun is allowed. Cable length or reception distance determines the area where firing is possible. A temporarily fixed transmitting location can be a portable base station that must remain motionless for a relatively long time period, e. g. 24 hours, before its signal transmitting begins.

Triangulation and memory of allowable firing locations: Latest technologies

A locationized gun of this type uses a system of radio frequency triangulation such as GPS or cell phone signals to determine its location.US Patent 6415542
Cary Lee Bates, Eric John Nelson, John Matthew Santosuosso, "Location-based firearm discharge prevention", issued 2002-7-9 Firing is then allowed only if the gun's location is electronically determined to be within the area stored in memory of where its firing is allowed, such as a home, business, or hunting area.

References