Violence Policy Center

About the author: The Violence Policy Center is an educational foundation that conducts research on firearm violence, works to educate the public concerning the dangers of guns, and supports gun-control measures.

Personalized guns—guns equipped with technology that make them unusable by all but the authorized owner—will have little effect on the rate of violent crime or teen suicides. Teenagers who kill themselves with a gun often own a gun or have been given access to their parents' guns, making personalization useless. Homicides are unlikely to decrease because few people commit murder with another person's gun. While guns should be made safer, cheaper and less complicated technologies exist, including trigger locks.

What is a "smart" or "personalized" gun"

The concept behind the "smart" or...