Rapid advancements in technology have made nearly every facet of our day-to-day lives safer.
The examples are endless: Wearable devices include sensors that detect whether we're at risk of a medical emergency. New vehicles are installed with a dizzying array of features that reduce the risk of injury or death if we're in a traffic accident and prevent collisions from happening in the first place. Home security systems showcase a range of surveillance capabilities that enable us to monitor what's happening inside and outside our homes 24/7.
When it comes to firearms, however, most technology advancements are being exploited to make guns more dangerous and accessible.
In recent years, for example, law enforcement officials have become increasingly concerned about a small, illegal device the size of a quarter that can be attached to semi-automatic weapons, so they are capable of fully automatic fire with one pull of the trigger. They are known as auto-sears or machinegun conversion devices. On the streets, they're referred to as "switches." Typically made of plastic and produced on low-cost manufacturing tools like 3-D printers, they hold the hammer of a semi-automatic weapon in the cocked position while the bolt of the weapon is cycling, making it capable of firing up to 20 rounds per second. Auto-sears can be installed in many types of handguns and rifles but are most commonly used in Glock pistols.
Along with numerous other factors, these machine-gun conversion devices are fueling the nation's gun violence epidemic, making shootings increasingly deadly and putting more innocent bystanders — especially children — at greater risk.
While these illegal devices have been around since the 1970s, law enforcement officials are seeing a vast, black market of illegal machine gun makers, dealers and traffickers in recent years. Between 2017 and 2021, the US of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives seized 5,454 machine gun conversion parts, compared to 814 during the previous five years.
The spiraling demand has driven up costs from about $20 in 2019 to about $200 today, according to reporting in an August 12 New York Times story. Not surprisingly, the buyers are primarily criminals but also teens, who increasingly have become perpetrators and victims of gun violence, as evidenced by the fact that firearms have been the leading cause of death among children and adolescents since 2020. As the Times' noted, switches are viewed as a status symbol among young people and are fast becoming embedded in youth culture, the subject of rap songs and memes on social media.
As part of their strategy to combat our gun violence crisis, federal officials have also been stepping up efforts to target "ghost guns" — firearms that are assembled from kits and do not carry serial numbers. Unlike traditional firearms sold legally, ghost guns are manufactured in parts that can be purchased online and assembled by unlicensed buyers. In 2021, the ATF recovered nearly 19,273 ghost guns used in crimes, compared to 8,504 in 2020 and 1,629 in 2017.
To stem the flow, the Biden administration instituted new federal rules in August 2022 that require manufacturers of "buy build shoot" kits to be licensed and include serial numbers on their frames or receivers. However, a pro-gun rights group sued to stop ghost guns from being classified as a firearm. In July, a Texas court blocked the rule requiring ghost gun kits to have serial numbers. The White House is appealing the ruling, and in early August, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the restrictions should remain in place while a legal challenge is ongoing.
With the U.S. on pace yet again to exceed 40,000 gun-related deaths this year, the pushback on such commonsense solutions is infuriating. Instead of using technology and law enforcement tools to make firearms safer and prevent them from falling into the wrong hands, pro-gun lobbyists are doing everything in their power to provide unfettered access to weapons of all capabilities.
What we should be doing is embracing smart gun technologies that ensure a weapon can only be fired by its owner or persons authorized to use it. Just like we unlock our smartphones with a fingerprint or facial recognition, a smart gun would be rendered useless if it fell into the hands of a child or criminals who steal thousands of firearms every year from homes, vehicles and stores. According to the ATF, there were more than 200,000 firearms reported stolen in the US in 2021 alone, fueling the underground market where criminals are able to acquire firearms without restriction.
The first American-built smart gun will be available for purchase this December. Developed by a Colorado-based startup called Biofire, the 9 mm gun can only be fired if it recognizes an authorized user with a fingerprint reader on the grip or a facial recognition camera on the back.
There are numerous other existing technologies that we should be prioritizing to make firearms safer, including a loaded-chamber indicator and a magazine safety disconnect to help prevent semi-automatic handguns from being fired unintentionally, as well as childproof standards that make it more difficult for kids to pull the trigger.
As a nation, we have rightfully prioritized technologies that have strengthened safety on our roads, in our cars, in our homes, in the workplace and in our hospitals. Similarly, we have a moral obligation to leverage technologies to combat the public health crisis of gun violence.
Michael J. Dowling is president & CEO of Northwell Health, New York State's largest healthcare provider, which established a Center for Gun Violence Prevention in 2020.