美国国家公共电台 NPR--'Smart gun' innovators seek to reduce firearm deaths

'Smart gun' innovators seek to reduce firearm deaths

Transcript¹

Ginger² Chandler had a hunch³. She'd spent years developing products for major gun manufacturers Smith & Wesson and Remington, so gun safety was a big topic at home. But when her stepfather passed away, she worried that her own gun-savvy mom didn't store his gun properly — the type of common mistake that causes scores of accidental deaths in the U.S. each year. When they went to check on the gun, there it sat in an unlocked drawer with the ammo next to it.

"I said, 'Mom, we talk about this all the time. If you didn't know, there are so many people who don't know,'" Chandler recalled.

This anecdote⁴ is part of what motivated Chandler to join the startup LodeStar Works as it develops a "smart gun" that features three options so that it can be unlocked only by its registered owner. This type of technology could help prevent accidental firearm deaths, suicides or homicides by unauthorized users. But it's not gun control, and it also would not prevent a mass shooting perpetrated by someone who legally purchased the weapon used.

"In the United States, there are a lot of firearms out there, and people are just unaware⁵ that their own firearms aren't safe. Everybody's kind of going, 'Oh, that guy's stuff is not safe but mine's good,'" Chandler said.

The LS9, a 9 mm pistol that Chandler and her team hope to bring to market next year, uses biometrics so that the owner's thumbprint can unlock the weapon, as well as a PIN pad and a Bluetooth connection that works with a mobile app.

It’s the heart of the LodeStar Works Firearm that sets it apart. This ‘Locking Mechanism⁶’ will change the way you carry!

Gun violence is one of the most confounding and intractable problems in the United States. Every day, over 100 people die from gunshots — part of the more than 300 individuals who are shot each day, according to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. But the right to own guns is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, and the issue has torn at America's social fabric⁷.

While not explicitly⁸ opposed to smart guns, the National Rifle Association has raised concerns that if these firearms become commercially viable⁹, the technology could become mandatory¹⁰ for all guns sold in the United States. In fact, President Biden's own campaign platform called for all firearms sold nationwide to be smart guns. And a recent NPR/Ipsos survey found that most American gun owners support moderate gun control measures such as background checks or increased age requirements.

But the last time a smart gun was available in the U.S., it failed miserably¹¹. In 2014, hackers¹² broke into the radio-frequency identification (RFID) of German manufacturer Armatix's product, and magnets could also disable the locking mechanism.

Chandler is determined¹³ to get it right this time. At the next level of testing, when the prototypes will be tooled up, LodeStar Works plans to enroll¹⁴ the help of hackers to identify any potential weaknesses and resolve them. Additionally, the profile of the typical gun buyer has changed significantly, which could help improve the viability¹⁵ of a product like the LS9 on the market. Last year, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, about half of new gun owners were women, and nearly half were people of color.

"They want to own their own destiny. But they also have small children at home. ... Maybe they're working remotely with their older children," Chandler explained. "They don't want to just have firearms out, but they also want to be in control."

Margot Hirsch has provided support to innovators like Chandler through her Smart Tech Challenges Foundation for the better part of a decade. In 2014, the foundation provided a total of $1 million in grants to 15 gun safety innovators.

"Breaking ground in a very traditional industry continues to be hard," Hirsch said. "The firearm industry is not one to innovate¹⁶. My sense is they'll only do it when they're forced to do it. And so it takes really brave innovators to forge a path in this area."

Firearm-related injuries are now the leading cause of death among children and adolescents from age 1 to 19, according to expert analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And that's where Hirsch says smart guns could play an important role in reducing deaths.

"Mass shootings, as horrific as they are — and they obviously dominate the news — they account for less than 2% of the injuries and deaths due to guns," she said. "Although a smart gun might not

At the same time, it's unlikely that traditional guns would get traded in for smart guns, which aren't even sold yet.

"We do believe that gun owners, when they go to buy new guns, will consider these guns for multiple reasons, and one is for personal protection," Hirsch explained. "This could be the gun that is readily available, let's say, on the bedside table, in the kitchen, wherever, where it's secured and locked and their children can't access it. But they know that if someone broke in their house or tried to take their weapon from them, it could not be used in that type of scenario¹⁷."

Anti-gun violence activists¹⁸ note that introducing smart guns is also adding to the number of weapons available, but Hirsch stresses that firearms are going to remain available "for the foreseeable future."

"So, if people are going to continue to buy guns, we believe it is imperative¹⁹ that there is a smart gun option on the market. I do think it's imminent," she said.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 ginger   

n.姜，精力，淡赤黄色；adj.淡赤黄色的；vt.使活泼，使有生气

参考例句：

• There is no ginger in the young man.这个年轻人没有精神。
• Ginger shall be hot in the mouth.生姜吃到嘴里总是辣的。

3 hunch   

n.预感，直觉

参考例句：

• I have a hunch that he didn't really want to go.我有这么一种感觉，他并不真正想去。
• I had a hunch that Susan and I would work well together.我有预感和苏珊共事会很融洽。

4 anecdote   

n.轶事，趣闻，短故事

参考例句：

• He departed from the text to tell an anecdote.他偏离课文讲起了一则轶事。
• It had never been more than a family anecdote.那不过是个家庭趣谈罢了。

5 unaware   

a.不知道的，未意识到的

参考例句：

• They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
• I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。

6 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

7 fabric   

n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织

参考例句：

• The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
• I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。

8 explicitly   

ad.明确地，显然地

参考例句：

• The plan does not explicitly endorse the private ownership of land. 该计划没有明确地支持土地私有制。
• SARA amended section 113 to provide explicitly for a right to contribution. 《最高基金修正与再授权法案》修正了第123条，清楚地规定了分配权。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

9 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

10 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

11 miserably   

adv.痛苦地；悲惨地；糟糕地；极度地

参考例句：

• The little girl was wailing miserably. 那小女孩难过得号啕大哭。
• It was drizzling, and miserably cold and damp. 外面下着毛毛细雨，天气又冷又湿，令人难受。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 hackers   

n.计算机迷( hacker的名词复数 )；私自存取或篡改电脑资料者，电脑“黑客”

参考例句：

• They think of viruses that infect an organization from the outside.They envision hackers breaking into their information vaults. 他们考虑来自外部的感染公司的病毒，他们设想黑客侵入到信息宝库中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Arranging a meeting with the hackers took weeks againoff-again email exchanges. 通过几星期电子邮件往来安排见面，他们最终同意了。 来自互联网

13 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

14 enroll   

v.招收；登记；入学；参军；成为会员（英)enrol

参考例句：

• I should like to enroll all my children in the swimming class.我愿意让我的孩子们都参加游泳班。
• They enroll him as a member of the club.他们吸收他为俱乐部会员。

15 viability   

n.存活(能力)

参考例句：

• What is required to achieve or maintain such viability? 要达到或维持这种生存能力需要什么？
• Scientists are experimenting to find ways to ensure the viability of seeds for even longer periods of time. 正如我们所说，科学家正在试验努力寻找让种子的生命力更加延长的方法。

16 innovate   

v.革新，变革，创始

参考例句：

• We must innovate in order to make progress.我们必须改革以便取得进步。
• It is necessary to innovate and develop military theories.创新和发展军事理论是必要的。

17 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

18 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 imperative   

n.命令，需要；规则；祈使语气；adj.强制的；紧急的

参考例句：

• He always speaks in an imperative tone of voice.他老是用命令的口吻讲话。
• The events of the past few days make it imperative for her to act.过去这几天发生的事迫使她不得不立即行动。