LAS VEGAS, NEVADA — The debate over integrating electronic locks into firearms is raging once again. As a handful of new startups vie to bring a product to market first to media fanfare, one of them tried to wrangle distributors and retailers at the gun industry’s trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada this week. SmartGunz attempted to overcome a strong industry distrust of the products stemming from both mechanical and political concerns. The company’s appearance at SHOT Show 2022 marks a new era in the fight over “smart guns.” “We believe there are consumers out there both in law enforcement and civilians that are going to welcome us with open arms,” Tom Holland, a Smartgunz co-founder, told The Reload. “I mean, we’re just providing an option.” If the company or one of its competitors can bring a reliable “smart gun” to market, advocates argue it could reduce unauthorized access to firearms which will lead to fewer gun murders and suicides. Critics note the guns are inherently less reliable than traditional models and worry their introduction could reignite efforts to force Americans to purchase them. The National Shooting Sports Foundation, which hosts SHOT Show, said it is open to the development of “smart guns” but firmly opposes any government effort to force dealers to carry them or Americans to buy them. “The concern is mandates surrounding the technology,” Mark Oliva, a spokesperson for the group, told The Reload. “We oppose mandates that would require this technology to be applied to firearms sold in the marketplace or would require firearm retailers to include firearms equipped with this technology.” Those concerns stem from a history of gun-control advocates attempting to force the sale of guns with electronic locks or even GPS trackers. The Clinton Administration pressured Smith & Wesson into a deal where they would produce the products in exchange for liability protection against lawsuits over the criminal use of firearms. After backlash from the industry and consumers prompted the company to walk away, the deal fell through. Still, the idea of mandating “smart guns” lived on through the Obama Administration and President Joe Biden currently wants to require only “smart guns” be allowed for sale in the United States. “Biden believes we should work to eventually require that 100% of firearms sold in the U.S. are smart guns. But, right now the NRA and gun manufacturers are bullying firearms dealers who try to sell these guns,” his campaign website said. “Biden will stand up against these bullying tactics and issue a call to action for gun manufacturers, dealers, and other public and private entities to take steps to accelerate our transition to smart guns.” New Jersey has been especially aggressive. In 2000, the state passed a law requiring that once “smart handguns” are sold anywhere in the country, they will be the only handguns legal to sell in New Jersey. The specter of the Jersey ban has hung over the “smart gun” debate in America ever since, resulting in fierce opposition to