(AP Photo/AJ Mast, File)
It’s been nearly 20 years since the state of New Jersey approved a bill mandating that so-called smart guns could be the only type of firearm sold in the state once a smart gun model was made available to the public. The law also directed hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant money to researchers to develop “smart gun” technology, but despite (or maybe because of) the push, there are still no smart guns available for sale commercially.
The state hasn’t given up, however. Back in 2019, the legislature modified the law, which now requires gun store owners to carry at least one smart gun model once it’s available for sale, though old-fashioned firearms can still be sold without violating the law. To speed up adoption of the technology, the state created a Personalized Handgun Authorization Commission that’s supposed to approve smart guns for sale in New Jersey, and last month Gov. Phil Murphy announced four appointments to the board, including a paid staffer for the gun control group Giffords.