Drone-Vision Rifle Goes On Sale For $22K

A TEXAS company has developed a "smart rifle" that barely needs to be aimed. The maker of the $22,000 gun, being shipped to stores this week, brags that “even a novice shooter can become an elite long-range marksman in minutes”. But opponents claim the weapon will turn any "two-bit criminal"  into a "highly trained sniper", ABC News in America reports. The company, TrackingPoint, has said its “world’s first” long range Precision Guided Firearms (PGF) integrate precision hardware, digital optics, and tracking technology to deliver an unmatched shooting experience. “We’re taking centuries old tech, firearms and ammunition, and introducing 21st century technology to it,” TrackingPoint CEO Jason Schauble told ABC News. The rifles come equipped with what the company is calling the XactSystem, which uses a network tracking scope with digital display interface, laser tagging to “paint” a moving target, and a guided trigger that only lets the shooter fire when there is a high percentage shot. The weapon is being introduced at a time when the debate over gun control has raised tempers on both sides of the argument. Mr Schauble said safety is paramount with a password which can be set on the gun’s scope software. This doesn’t render the rifle useless, but it does lock any unauthorized users out of the precision technology. David Chipman, a spokesman for Mayors Against Illegal Guns which lobbies for an expansion of background checks for people buying guns, said the PGF “is not your grandfather’s hunting rifle used for sport and recreation this is a weapon designed to kill with precision.” “This technology potentially enables any two bit criminal to operate with the skills of a highly trained sniper,” Chipman said. The new gun follows controversy over 3D printable handgun designs appearing on rogue websites. Last week, blueprints for the world's first 3D printable handgun had taken refuge at file-sharing website The Pirate Bay, upsetting a US government attempt to get them off the internet. Defense Distributed, a Texas non-profit organisation that promotes the open-source development of firearms using 3D printers, withdrew the files needed to make the single-shot Liberator at the behest of the State Department on Thursday. "This file has been removed from public access at the request of the US Department of Defense Trade Controls," said Defense Distributed on its website, which it embellished with the State Department seal. "Until further notice, the United States government claims control of the information," it added without elaboration. (news)