Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas has fired off a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder demanding answers about his plan for a $2 million congressional study on "smart guns."
In Holder's testimony before a House Appropriations subcommittee last week, he said the smart gun research is part of a $382 million government package to pay for a "gun safety" program,
according to The Daily Caller.
The futuristic firearms would work only through fingerprint identification or by technology that allows only the owner to pull the trigger when connected to an accompanying electronic bracelet, or by wristwatch, as is the case with the 22-caliber,
10-round Armatix iP1, which is available now.
Cornyn, the Senate Minority Whip,
wrote in his letter that Holder's plan for potentially forcing people to carry smart guns conflicted with the constitutional rights of Americans.
The letter said, "Your testimony has raised serious concerns for my constituents given President Obama's track-record of acting beyond the scope of his legal authority and your hostility to the individual right to self-defense under the Second Amendment."
Cornyn wanted assurances that the Justice Department would not issue regulations that would mean Americans would have to equip their firearms with costly fingerprint-reading technology or have to link them to biometric bracelets.
The National Rifle Association said it was opposed to any government mandate requiring the use of smart guns, warning that they open the door to a ban on all firearms that do not possess the technology, The Daily Caller reported.
In February,
Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Ed Markey said he planned to introduce a controversial bill requiring all handguns sold in the United States to be fitted with smart-gun technology while older guns would have to be retrofitted within three years.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.