The new gun is called “smart" because ………

American researchers trying to reduce firearms violence have made guns that can recognise an unauthorised user when he tries to pull the trigger. The team at New Mexico's Sandia National Laboratories noted that alarming numbers of US cops were-being killed by their own guns in the hands of an assailant, while hundreds of children die playing with daddy's toys. Half of America's armed criminals use stolen weapons.
Their prototype "smart guns" use sensors to detect their owner's grip, and refuse to work for anyone else. Methods tried include magnetic rings in the pistol grip that recognise electronic "tags" in an owner's hand, finger and palm-print detectors and voice-recognition systems. Police are still doubtful. They want a weapon they can use with either hand, and which their partners can fire if necessary.