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April 15, 2025
Even ‘Smart Gun’ Maker Knows Mandates Are a Dumb Idea
Never underestimate the capacity for antigun lawmakers to chase after bad ideas. After all, for decades they’ve enacted one more gun control law after another thinking the next one is the panacea that will solve the problem of criminals misusing guns.
Except history shows – and the American public knows – that it never has, and it never will. The only ones who can’t see the clear truth that criminals ignore gun laws are the billionaire-class funded gun control advocates and their willing allies in Congress and state capitals across the country.
Fortunately, Kai Kloepfer, Founder and CEO of Biofire, a “smart gun” company, is on the list of those telling lawmakers that mandating restrictions of what can and cannot be sold just doesn’t work. In fact, it is counterproductive.
So far, Kloepfer’s company is the only company that’s brought an authorized-user technology equipped firearm to the market. To be crystal clear, NSSF has never opposed authorized-user technology in the firearm marketplace. NSSF believes gun buyers should have the choice to purchase the firearm that best meets their needs. NSSF has only ever opposed one-size-fits-all mandates, like the New Jersey existing mandate requiring every firearm retailer to carry at least one “smart gun” if that technology becomes available in that state. We also opposed the original New Jersey mandate that was repealed because even the bill sponsor, N.J. state Sen. Loretta Weinberg, ultimately agreed with what we told her over 20 years ago, mandates don’t work, and they will suppress innovation.
Pushed by gun control advocates, Massachusetts lawmakers formed the Special Legislative Commission on Emerging Firearm Technology. This is a commission of lawmakers, several gun control experts and even the patent-holder for microstamping “technology.” NSSF has a token seat on the commission to give it a veneer of inclusiveness. The commission is a window into the lengths lawmakers will go to find new and innovative ways to wrestle away from law-abiding Massachusetts citizens what’s left of Second Amendment rights in The Bay State.
The latest was exploring the idea of mandating so-called “smart guns” in the state. Except, lawmakers got more than they bargained for.
“We are proud to offer the Biofire Smart Gun as a new option for consumers. And we firmly believe that personalized firearm technology should remain a choice for responsible gun owners, one innovative solution among many. Mandates of personalized firearm technology, however well-intentioned, backfire by unintentionally stifling innovation and creating a backlash against adoption of the technology that such mandates intend to promote,” Kloepfer explained, when he testified before the Massachusetts Special Legislative Commission on Emerging Firearm Technology. “I want to be very clear here: The Americans who choose our technology do so trusting that we support their freedom of choice. The existence of the technology, and our ability to develop it, rests upon that foundation of trust. Our goal is to work alongside the firearms community and policymakers to ensure this technology is adopted voluntarily because it proves its value, not because it is forced.”
Not enough?
Massachusetts has among the strictest gun control laws in the nation. Anyone wanting to legally buy a gun there must obtain a Firearm Identification (FID), costing applicants $100 just to apply. An FID card is required to purchase, possess and transport rifles, shotguns and ammunition. Pistols require another license altogether – a License to Carry (LTC). Both of those government-issued permission slips come with a background check, which requires completion of a state-mandated firearm safety course. That’s all before purchasing a firearm, which requires its own background check.
Every gun in the state is required to be registered – even before they are sold. Then there are the restrictions on which type of firearm an individual can buy. No one in Massachusetts can buy a Modern Sporting Rifle (MSR), the most-popular selling centerfire rifle in America built on the AR-15 platform. Magazines with a capacity of more than 10 rounds are forbidden – labelled erroneously as “large capacity magazines” – when in fact, they’re standard capacity. There are hundreds of millions of these magazines commonly owned throughout America. Don’t even think about trying to privately make a firearm in the home. That was outlawed too.
Adults under 21 can’t buy a gun either. They can vote, of course. They can exercise all their other rights protected under the U.S. Constitution. They can enter into legal contracts and join the military. Those adults, though, can’t legally exercise their right to keep and bear arms.
Criminals are a different story. They just buy them on the street corner. But Massachusetts lawmakers think they have an answer for that too. That’s why the commission is exploring the idea of requiring all guns sold in the state be “smart guns.”
Principled Stand
Some might argue that Kloepfer could see a bonanza if his technology were to be required. He sees it differently.
“Before I delve deeper, let me state Biofire’s core policy position clearly: we oppose any law that would mandate, whether de jure or de facto, the use or sale of personalized firearm technology,” Kloepfer told the Massachusetts committee. “We aim to develop technology that delivers choices, not restricts them.”
Biofire is making more than a public statement. Aside from being an NSSF member and bringing his handgun to SHOT Show’s Industry Day at the Range, Kloepfer is staking his company on his commitment to stare down laws mandating his technology. He posted a video explaining his commitment to the right of gun owners to choose the firearm that best meets their needs on the company’s website. His company submitted an amicus letter in Boland v. Bonta with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, arguing against the constitutionality of California’s Unsafe Handgun Act that requires a state-approved list of handguns that can be sold there.
Every firearm ever made can be responsibly secured to prevent unauthorized use. Biofire’s product is one new and innovative way to ensure the firearm remains out of the reach of those who should never have them. Other storage options exist as well, including lock boxes, small digital safes and large upright safes. Those can meet the storage needs for all different lifestyles and home storage needs. Firearm manufacturers include a locking device in the box with the firearm that’s shipped from the factory. When properly applied, those locking devices render a firearm inoperable.
NSSF’s Project ChildSafe® has distributed over 41 million free firearm safety kits, including cable style gun locks, to over 15,000 law enforcement organizations in all 50 states and five U.S. territories to help ensure firearms are secured and inaccessible to those who should never have their hands on them, including prohibited individuals, those who might be suffering a mental health crisis and unsupervised children.
Gun control lawmakers are looking for a panacea to solve the issue of criminals misusing firearms. The problem isn’t with the laws. It’s with the will of lawmakers, prosecutors, district attorneys and attorneys general to enforce the laws. Restricting gun sales to only “smart guns” isn’t smart. A better way is to start locking up criminals.
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NSSF Rebukes Massachusetts Legislation Denigrating Second Amendment Rights to State Privilege
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