This is new. I don't like it.

[Enjay]

August 01, 2011
Chiappa Firearms to Start Putting RFID Chips in Its Guns Next Year
by Phil Bourjaily



Chiappa Firearms, the Italian manufacturer of the innovative, upside-down Rhino revolver and other guns, recently announced it would begin putting RFID (radiofrequency identification) chips in its new guns next year.

As marketing errors go, this is one of the worst ever. After all, what gun owner would want a firearm with a radio chip embedded in the grip? Actually, RFID chips are passive. They only respond when a scanner is held near them, so these chips are not a "tracking device" that will allow someone to follow an item's movements.

RFID is used for inventory control and the technology is already being used in clothing and other products. Similar chips, like the ones used for identification purposes, have been embedded in pets for years. As the price of the tiny chips drops, you will probably see them embedded into everything, just as bar codes are printed on almost all packaging today.

However, it is possible to build more powerful RFID receivers that can read chips from a greater distance.

As the following damage-control press release demonstrates, there has been a lot of chatter on the Internet about this topic already. Perhaps chipped Chiappas will go down in marketing history along with New Coke and the Edsel - or maybe not.

Thoughts?

See the original article here: http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs...id-chips-its-guns-next-year?cmpid=enews080311

As I told my husband, my thoughts are no, He!! No, I'm not buying anything from that company ever, and how long will it be until it's up before legislation and they start trying to force us to retrofit our weapons?

 

[thebrasilian]

I rep a company that does RFID systems. This is something that I would not worry about. The type of RFID tag that will be used, regardless of receiver being used, could only be read at a short distance. How do I know? Most type of long range passive tags cost over $20. They would not add this type of cost to the weapon. These tags, more than likely will be used to help with inventory management and warranty work.

 

[fordnut]

Yes...OK. For warranty and Inventory purposes...NOW....

I am like Enjay...this sucks...It is just a small skip and jump to Obomonation to have it put into the Health Care Bill...or something else...Then, they will be watching everywhere you go...

Oh My God....Big Brother is wanting to follow us...

Steve

 

[fiundagner]

Most type of long range passive tags cost over $20. They would not add this type of cost to the weapon

Most weapons already cost several 100 dollars. You really think they would flinch at passing on a 20$ cost to the consumer? Or that it would impact sales if they passed it on? Especially if it kept government agencies and other groups off of its back?

This is just another small, incremental, step that will make it easier for governments to disarm populations if they ever decide to throw the rules out the window.

 

[C_Carson]

Yes...OK. For warranty and Inventory purposes...NOW....

I am like Enjay...this sucks...It is just a small skip and jump to Obomonation to have it put into the Health Care Bill...or something else...Then, they will be watching everywhere you go...

Oh My God....Big Brother is wanting to follow us...

Steve

Ditto.

 

[C_Carson]

Yes...OK. For warranty and Inventory purposes...NOW....

I am like Enjay...this sucks...It is just a small skip and jump to Obomonation to have it put into the Health Care Bill...or something else...Then, they will be watching everywhere you go...

Oh My God....Big Brother is wanting to follow us...

Steve

Ditto.

...maybe its my tinfoil hat interrupting my regular thinking frequency here, but couldn't you just see Big Brother in 15-20 years making it mandatory that WE be outfitted with such chips? "oh your identity will never be at risk for theft again, and you won't have to fill out paperwork ever again! Just one scan of your chip and we'll have your complete medical history, identity, etc et etc..."

 

[jmt2566]

Is this the same technology that they use for theft deterrence in retail stores? If so, wouldn't anyone that was interested be able to just put those passive scanners by entry & exit doors to just about any building? Even park gates; toll booths; etc, etc....

 

[Dave29461]

Chip chip chipping away at the freedom and privacy of citizens. Whatever can be used for good can be corrupted and used against us.

"Rest assured, if the administration could find broad support for a reinstatement of the expired assault weapon ban, it would do everything in its power to fix the mistakes of the past.

Instead of banning a list of guns by name or arbitrary cosmetic features or banning just the manufacture of magazines, they would attempt to model their ban on some of the more restrictive state bans, such as those in California, Maryland, and New York, which would no doubt result in more unintended (and sometimes unbearably cute) consequences.

Attempting to impose such a restrictive and prohibitionist law is far harder today in a nation where judicial interpretations favoring individual gun rights are ascendant. It would take a dramatic and drastic turn of events to undermine the growing gun rights movement and to generate the sort of popular support for more national gun control laws.

Such firearms would have to be used, repeatedly and with great affect, to generate massive levels of violence and the media furor needed to revive a flagging gun control movement. It would almost take a massive covert operation delivering thousands of weapons to violent felons to make this even potentially viable.

Luckily, we all know that can't happen here.
" Lifted from VCDL Newsletter

Just a thought.
Dave

 

[fordnut]

Some of you may not remember or know about what is called the Lawyer's Lock...

Some years ago, someone got the Idea....Hey, that revolver don't have a saftey on it.....Oh MY GOD...we can't live like this...So. Big Brother Went to the firearms manufacturers and said they need a lock on all guns...

Smith & Wesson bowed down to the pressure...They add a lock to the side of their revolvers...WIMPS.....and you got a little"PLASTIC" key to lock up your gun...

Now, finally, S&W offers some of their revolvers without the lock...But...to little to late...

A died in the wool S&W collector won't even touch the revolvers with the lock..and, if you do away with the lock, you have a hole in your gun...

Great ideas....

I now step down off my soap box..Thanks for letting me rant....

Steve

 

[Midnight Raver]

Nothing like making it easier to find out who's carrying, eh? More than likely it will make it worse for the law abiding CCW people than the criminals...

I'm sure that THEY will find suitable methods to deactivate them. :roll:

 

[Enjay]

Ok. I understand how using rfid chips would be handy for inventory management and warranty work. But, I also see how the ATF and US Customs would perk their little ears at the idea of being able to track weapon shipments by scanning rfid chips, especially if they didn't even have to open the shipping container or enter the building they're in. They may look like buffoons right now but the ATF does have some clout and they can use the current debacle to their advantage to convince legislators to require rfid chips in all new guns, magazines, grips etc. And once those have been legitimately sold to private customers what's to stop the mall, the bank etc from installing gun rfid scanning devices to protect their customers? Or the local police from routinely scanning cars and people and then using it as probable cause to stop you?
I just don't like it.

 

[mcdaniel]

I rep a company that does RFID systems. This is something that I would not worry about. The type of RFID tag that will be used, regardless of receiver being used, could only be read at a short distance. How do I know? Most type of long range passive tags cost over $20. They would not add this type of cost to the weapon. These tags, more than likely will be used to help with inventory management and warranty work.

But,... If the gov't give the manufacturer a $50 tax write off for each gun sold with the RFID, vs $0 without, they have made the trackables less expensive than the non trackables.

 

[PCShogun]

No worries if you follow these 5 easy steps.

1) Buy gun
2) Buy screw driver
3) Buy Hogue grips (you were going to do it anyway, right?)
4) Remove Grips from gun, discard grips and chip.
5) Install Hogue grips.

Tada!, a gun with better grips and no tag.

 

[Pops]

changing the gripsor removing the chip was my first idea.

And yes if there is a chip in a hand gun you could be ID'ed walking between a set of door scanners. That is what those scanners are for. it would now work outside of a building however. Most RFID chips on the high end are only about 10 feet or so last time I researched them.

If the chip is in the grip somewhere it would be a simple task to remove it, if it is molded into the grip it would be simple to remove them.

Where I live they have put RFID chips in the roll-out recycle cans. The claim it is so they can keep track of the can and how much you recycle,but the part of the story not told publicly,but found burried on the city's website is that they plan to monitor your recycling and suposedly the truck can weigh the contents. If you don't participate in the program you can be fined.
The local radio station jumped on it and held a big party in their parking lot so people could bring their cans and swap with a total stranger. The city had a big damage control problem for about 6 weeks.

moral of the story: if they put a permanent RFID chip in it they are planning to use that chip to identify that you have a weapon. If it was only about inventory they'd simply put one in the box like any pair of sneakers you buy from wall-mart.

 

[Enjay]

I would imagine that they'd put the rfid chips in any aftermarket and removable parts like mags, grips, crimson lasers, holsters etc. I'm kind of surprised they haven't tried it in the brass yet.

 

[Midnight Raver]

And you can bet your bottom dollar that it will be illegal to remove said chips if it becomes legislation some day. :idea:

Not good indeed. :|

 

[thebrasilian]

RF security is not the same technology as RFID. So no, those RFID chips will not read every time you walk into a store.

A cheap commercial reader start at about $400 to read at 3'. The price increases substantially as you try and read at longer distances.

The software that runs the reader has to be programed with the information of what that rfid tag means.

There are many frequencies and the readers have to match that frequency of the tag.

This is a company is looking to save money. It's not a government plot.

Not understanding the technology leads to paranoia.

By the way, you probably have tags all over your house and in your car and don't even know it.

If you going to get angry about tracking, make sure that government does not institute tax by mileage.

 

[jmt2566]

RF security is not the same technology as RFID. So no, those RFID chips will not read every time you walk into a store.

Thanks for giving some clarification about the technology & the differences between the types of readers / sensors.

Jeff

 

[Dave29461]

RF security is not the same technology as RFID. So no, those RFID chips will not read every time you walk into a store.

Thanks for giving some clarification about the technology & the differences between the types of readers / sensors.

Jeff

Ditto. Of course, you aren't paranoid if they really are out to get you.

 

[Enjay]

I do (somewhat) understand the technology and your explanations greatly helped clear a few things up, but I still don't want them in my guns and I'm not happy with the idea of the company putting them in theirs, it'll give someone ideas and new technology to develop LOL