Startup Raises $17 Million To Develop Smart Gun

Biofire Technologies has raised $17 million in seed funding to further develop its smart gun, which uses a fingerprint sensor to unlock the trigger. Axios reports: Biofire's guns only can be fired by authorized users, which should exclude kids or teens from using guns that their parents didn't secure. Even if you're someone who decries firearms proliferation and supports stricter gun control, this is an innovation that should be welcomed. "I see firearm ownership continuing to be part of American culture for the foreseeable future," says Biofire founder and CEO Kai Kloepfer. "This issue has become so politicized that really nothing is being done, even for things that shouldn't be political in any way, like kids getting hold of guns ... A smart gun isn't a cure-all, but we do think that we can have an immediate and substantial impact." Kloepfer, who dropped out of MIT to pursue Biofire, adds that the gun is being beta tested with law enforcement and firearms experts, and that it doesn't have any RFID or other wireless capabilities that could turn off prospective buyers A recent Morning Consult poll found that 55% of current gunowners would be comfortable using a smart gun.

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