The Oak Tree Club, a California firearms shop that began selling the first 'smart gun', is now backing away from association with the gun after outcries from customers and gun rights advocates.
Advocates are concerned that the availability of the Armatix iP1 smart gun will support a gun law in New Jersey, which mandates that all handguns in the state must be personalized within three years of a smart gun going on sale anywhere in the U.S., according to Fox News.
The smart gun features electronic chips that communicate with a watch that can be bought with the gun, which makes it possible to shoot without the watch. The new gun has received praise by gun-control advocates, who believe smart guns can reduce gun violence, accidental shootings and suicides, the Washington Post reported.
Oak Tree has received much of its criticism on online forums and social networks, according to the Washington Post. Someone wrote on Oak Tree's Facebook page that, "These people are anti-gunners," referring to the company. The person added, "I will never step foot in this dump." Another critic on Yelp wrote, "If you care about the ability to exercise your [Second Amendment] rights, I would suggest that you do not continue to frequent this place."
Since receiving such criticism, Oak Tree has denied offering the gun and apologized for confusion on several websites, despite the store's owner James Mitchell's comments about selling the gun, which has critics confused, the Washington Post reported.
"I walked in a delicate line because I am extremely pro-gun conservative type person," Mitchell said. "But I'm also logical, you know." He said that if accepted, the technology could "revolutionize the gun industry" and provide a compromise between gun rights advocates and gun-control supporters.
Belinda Padilla, president of Armatix's U.S. division, shared her disappointment with Oak Tree's reaction to critics and her understanding of Mitchell's intentions, Fox News reported.
"It's sad because at the end of the day, he was trying to do something good, which is provide choice for those people that want safety," Padilla said.
Critics still see only harm coming from mandating the smart gun, the Washington Post reported. David Simantob, an Oak Tree customer, shared his opinion of the new gun in an email, saying, "Oak Tree's association with Armatix the last year was never satisfactorily explained, and their recent back pedaling trying to explain it away has unfortunately created an even bigger problem for those of us who care about our Second Amendment Rights."
