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America is driving gun sales on the dark web
Sixty percent of all the weapons sold on the dark web are smuggled out of the US, according to research from the RAND Corporation. It, along with the University of Manchester, began investigating the illegal trade in firearms, explosives and ammunition available on Silk Road-esque marketplaces. The pair believe that sellers are making a killing by buying guns in the US and shipping them to Europe, where prices are higher.
ICYMI: Bulletproof origami shields and hoverbikes
Today on In Case You Missed It: Finally, the best part of Return of the Jedi is becoming a reality. Hoversurf Inc. is building actual hoverbikes for folks to ride. Well, not right away. It'll be a few years before you can buy one. But at least we can start saving all your nickels and dimes for a time when we can go barreling through the Redwoods like Luke and Leia.
New York lawsuit aims to apply the Second Amendment to Tasers
The Firearms Policy Foundation and Matthew Avitabile are suing New York state over a regulation that outlaws the possession of electronic weapons including stun guns and Tasers. Avitabile happens to be the mayor of Middleburgh, New York, and he wants to buy a Taser or stun gun for his home, according to court documents filed over the weekend. His lawyers argue that the New York ban on owning stun guns is unconstitutional, violating the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.
US government releases official guidelines for smart guns
Back in June, the US Department of Justice proposed a list of specifications for manufactures of smart guns: a preliminary outline of the baseline features law enforcement agencies wanted to see in the future of pistol safety technology. This included a slew of safety features, failsafe countermeasures and requirements for rechargeable and replaceable batteries. Now, the government has made that draft official.
Apple drops the gun emoji for a friendlier water pistol
The news is awash in the shootings of police officers and unarmed black men, and individuals opening fire in nightclubs and public party events. In an effort to stop promoting gun violence, Apple is replacing its gun emoji with a friendlier-looking water pistol. In place of the old black and silver revolver is a bright green and orange water gun that looks very distinctly like a harmless toy.
US government releases proposed guidelines for smart guns
Federal authorities have just released a set of recommended guidelines to define the minimum technical requirements that law enforcement agencies expect from smart guns. The proposed baseline specs cover just pistols for now, and are open for public input from now till September 13.
Facebook and the folly of self-regulation
There's a whole bunch of content that you aren't allowed to post on Facebook. Threats against public figures and other users, claims of imminent self-harm, harassment and bullying (in theory, at least) and the purchase, sale or trade of regulated goods like drugs and weapons. What's more, Facebook made a subtle change to its Community Standards back in January, effectively banning the peer-to-peer sale of firearms, ammo and explosives. Firearm shops and online retailers are still allowed to promote offline sales on Facebook -- assuming all applicable laws and regulations are met -- but private citizens can no longer offer their own weapons on the site. While this is a commendable policy shift on FB's part, the site's enforcement of the new rules has been spotty at best.
Facebook has banned person-to-person gun sales
Apparently you could buy and sell guns on Facebook before today. Note the past tense there. The New York Times says that this change is in response to President Obama's recent push for Zuckerberg and Co. to cull the person-to-person transactions from the social network and Instagram -- similar to how it treats sales of marijuana, prescription drugs and other illicit substances. Licensed gun dealers are still fine; the idea here is curbing the background-check-free sales that can occur on a person-to-person basis.
Ex-con posts gun photo to Facebook, gets another 15 years
There is so such a thing as oversharing -- just ask Malik First Born Allah Farrad (formerly Marvin Buckles). He was convicted of federal gun and drug charges in 2000. In 2013, the FBI began investigating him over suspicions of "illicit conduct" and subsequently began looking through his social media accounts. That's when the feds found a picture of three handguns arrayed upon his apartment's toilet, and discovered the selfie above. Farrad had unfortunately forgotten that felons are not allowed to possess firearms of any kind.
3D printing files for guns are illegal in an Australian state
The Australian state of New South Wales has made it illegal to possess the blueprints necessary to make your own projectile weapons. Lawmakers have passed an amendment to the Weapons Prohibition Act 1998 that makes it a crime to own information necessary to produce guns, like the Liberator. If a person is found to have "digital blueprints," they could face a prison term of up to 14 years. This goes beyond 3D printers, too, as the law also includes "electronic milling machines" should anyone want to get creative with their nearest CNC.
Anti-drone rifle shoots down UAVs with radio waves
While the US military continues to develop new and awesome ways of blowing aerial drones to smithereens, not many of these systems can easily be adapted to use in the civilian realm. That's why Battelle has developed the DroneDefender, a shoulder-mounted rifle that knocks UAVs offline with a barrage of radio waves.
US Army's new anti-drone gun blasts UAVs from a kilometer away
Engineers at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey successfully concluded a demonstration of its new anti-UAV platform recently by, you guessed it, blowing a pair of airborne drones clean out of the sky from a kilometer away. However, unlike other anti-drone weapons like the Phalanx or C-RAM systems which throw walls of hot, explosive lead at incoming threats; or the laser-based HEL-MD, this new weapon takes a more old-school approach: lots of big friggin' bullets.
The Army wants to protect its bases with gun turrets, not guard towers
Maintaining perimeter security in a forward operating base (like Bagram "Rocket City" AFB in Afghanistan) is a full time job. In fact, it normally takes teams of four to six soldiers to man each weapons system on the perimeter over a 12 hour shift. But with a new prototype perimeter protection system currently being tested at Fort Bliss, Texas, a single soldier sitting safely within the command bunker -- instead being of up on the wire -- can potentially do the work of 10.
North Dakota cops will be first in nation to use weaponized drones
North Dakota's Bill 1328 was supposed to be cut and dry. "In my opinion there should be a nice, red line: drones should not be weaponized. Period," Rep. Rick Becker (R-Bismarck), the bill's original sponsor, told a committee hearing back in March, per The Daily Beast. That was going to happen too, at least until an industry lobbying firm got involved. Now, law enforcement agencies in North Dakota are legally allowed to arm their UAVs with any manner of weapons, so long as they aren't "lethal".
Defend your desk with a 3D printed rubber band auto-gun
If you work with a bunch of sticky-fingered co-workers, your desk is going to need protecting -- especially when you're away at lunch. This 3D-printed sentry gun from Swiss engineering student Kevin Thomas is motion-activated and fires a 6-round clip of rubber bands at anybody foolhardy enough to come within range. It's controlled with an Arduino chip running Thomas' version of the open-source Project Sentry Gun software. And if you don't want to let the sentry gun have all the fun, you can also switch it from autonomous mode and manually aim it using a joystick. With all the eyes you'll put out and SBC violations you'll incur with this menacing mechanization, you and the HR department are going to become such good friends.
Hackers can crack the self-aiming rifle to change its target
TrackingPoint's computer-augmented rifle sights, better known as the ShotView targeting system, have set off a wave of controversy and debate since they first debuted in 2014. That debate is about to get even hotter now that security researchers Runa Sandvik and Michael Auger have shown Wired a way to break into the rifle and shut it down or, even worse, change the target to the hacker's choosing.
Smart camera warns you when guns enter your home
Anxious that you might face an armed home invasion, or that your kids might find the key to the gun cabinet? NanoWatt Design thinks it has a way to give you that crucial early warning. Its crowdfunded GunDetect camera uses computer vision to detect firearms and send a text alert to your phone. If it works as promised, you'll know there's an intruder at the door, or that you need to rush into the den before there's a terrible accident. If you're intrigued, it'll take a minimum $349 pledge to reserve a Cloud GunDetect (which requires a service subscription to process images) and $549 for a Premium model which does all the image recognition work itself. Provided that NanoWatt reaches its funding goal, both cams should ship in February.
Man 3D prints dart gun to protest weapon blueprint law
In the wake of recent shootings, many Americans think the US needs at least slightly stricter gun laws. However, when it comes to 3D-printed weapons, one maker begs to differ. Peter Alaric built a 3D-printed dart gun to make a point about proposed State Department laws banning weapon blueprints on the internet. Calling President Obama "our Fuehrer," he said "this gesture of protest further proves the obvious futility of attempting to regulate speech and ban simple mechanical objects." His creation fires 40mm blowgun darts via a piston and rubber bands, and can even hold accessories like laser sights.
Uber says no guns in cars, period
Drivers and passengers can no longer carry guns on Uber rides, even if they have a legal permit. Uber previously allowed partners to drive with guns, as long as they "abide(d) by local, state, and federal laws." The transportation company told the New Republic that "we have adopted a no-firearms policy to ensure that both drivers and riders feel safe and comfortable on the platform." It added that it made the changes on June 10th, well before the deadly Charleston attacks, and only after "reviewing recent feedback from both riders and driver-partners."
Your next plastic gun won't make it past metal detectors
Conventional metal detectors -- like those employed nearly universally to courthouses and (sigh) schools -- are useless against 3D-printed plastic guns. And in light of how comically inept the TSA is, these homebrew weapons pose a real and significant security concern to airports as well. Which is why Congress is once again gearing up to pass legislation making the weapons easier to trace.
