Biofire, which is based in Broomfield, Colorado, is the developer and manufacturer of the ultra-modern weapon. It is designed to prevent anyone but the owner and users granted access by the owner from firing the gun. The company believes the new technology will greatly enhance firearm safety at a time when debate is raging over exactly that.
The cutting-edge firm raised $14 million in funding last year to accelerate the project.
CEO Kai Kloepfer told the New York Post that “right now it seems like the entire country is always processing a new tragedy involving children and guns. We are offering a real solution, at a time when solutions seem very hard to come by.”
The weapon, which costs $1,499, unlocks in under a second and may use either fingerprint or facial recognition sensors to enable firing. It also locks again quickly when not in use.
The integrated capacitive fingerprint sensor and 3D facial recognition system are accompanied by LED indicators that tell the user when the sensors are “looking for an authorized user’s biometrics. The identification system is powered by a rechargeable, lithium-ion battery and features encryption technology to prevent it from being modified into a regular handgun.
To address privacy concerns, the biometric data never leaves the weapon.
There is also a portable dock charger that enables the owner to add and delete users through a high-resolution touch screen.
It is currently available for pre-order with a $149 deposit, and delivery is expected in early 2024.
Kloepfer does not have any illusions that the revolutionary new product will prevent every misuse of a firearm. However, he believes the Biofire Smart Gun is a valuable tool that may “help prevent some firearm suicides, accidents, and injuries from occurring.”
He added that if the smart gun “saves even one child’s life, it will be worth it.”
Kloepfer recalled that he was inspired to develop the new technology after the 2012 Colorado shooting that killed 12 people during a screening of “The Dark Knight Rises.” At the time, he was a high school student in the Aurora area. The idea led to him submitting the concept to a local science fair the next year and then founding Biofire three years later.
It was hardly an overnight success. The developer engaged with firearm experts and former military members for years to fine tune the idea and produce a practical finished product.
The Biofire smart gun and its technology will certainly not prevent all or even most firearm abuses. For example, the Aurora shooter purchased his weapon legally and would not have been prevented from carrying out the horrific attack. However, the Sandy Hook Elementary School assailant who killed 26 quite possibly could not have used his mother’s firearm to carry out his deadly assault.
Former Seal Team 6 member and Biofire advisor Mike Corbett praised the practicality of the new weapon. “This Smart Gun was designed specifically for real gun owners who want a quality home-defense firearm that cannot be used by children or criminals.”
Corbett said he is convinced that within a few years “the head of every household in America who wants a home-defense firearm is going to choose this Smart Gun.”
Ian McCollum, a firearms technical expert, tested the Biofire Smart Gun and said the 9mm pistol shoots like its counterparts with no delay. “If it weren’t for the futuristic look, you wouldn’t know that it isn’t just a regular mechanical pistol,” he reported.
He said he came away “excited” and “impressed” with the system.
