January 21, 2016
Contact Info
Ralph Fascitelli
President Washington Ceasefire
Ralphfascitelli@gmail.com
206-369-2612
International Smart Gun Symposium in February Attracts Leading Issue Luminaries and Developers; Builds on President Obama’s Recent Endorsement of Smart Guns
Event jointly sponsored by Washington Ceasefire and Smart Tech Challenges Foundation
San Francisco – Emboldened by the President’s recent endorsement of smart gun technology, and Vice President Biden’s new video endorsement, two west coast non-profits dedicated to reducing the toll of over 33,000 gun violence deaths per year are co-sponsoring the most significant event yet on the issue.
San Francisco-based Smart Tech Challenges Foundation and Seattle-based Washington Ceasefire are bringing together leading smart gun developers Ernest Mauch and Jonathan Mossberg, public health expert Stephen Teret of Johns Hopkins, and law enforcement smart gun proponent SF Police Chief Greg Suhr, to discuss the potential of smart guns to save lives and the resources needed to make them a reality.
According to STCF President Margot Hirsch: “Smart gun technologies are about saving lives and should be an option for law enforcement and every gun purchaser. The widespread adoption of smart guns could have a broad positive impact on gun violence such as making inoperable many of the over 250,000 guns stolen annually”. We need to consolidate our efforts and accelerate the availability of these life saving solutions.”
Washington Ceasefire President, Ralph Fascitelli says; “We’re encouraged that gun rights groups ranging from the NRA to the NSSF to The Second Amendment Foundation are now on record that they have no problem with smart guns as long as they are not politically mandated”. Indeed an earlier national poll of 238 gun owners by the firm of Penn, Berland, Shoen shows that 42% of gun owners would consider purchasing a smart gun.
One group that is especially critical to validating the technology is law enforcement. A growing number of police chiefs are supporting testing smart guns including John Urquhart King County, Washington Sheriff, San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr as well as Richard Beary President of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. One panel at the Smart Gun Symposium will focus on law enforcement and smart gun adoption and the other will address “What’s Needed to Make Smart Guns A Reality”.
The San Francisco Smart Gun Symposium will be held February 23 at the Palace Hotel in downtown San Francisco. The luncheon event will run from 11am to 2pm and tickets are available for $50 payable by check at the door. Space is limited and interested parties are requested to RSVP as soon as possible by emailing Ralphfascitelli@gmail.com A press conference will be held at 10am that morning at The Palace Hotel.
Washington Ceasefire has been dedicated to reducing gun violence since 1983 and over the past twelve months has become a leading national voice for the acceleration of smart gun development. Last year Ceasefire sponsored a similar smart gun event in Seattle with the Washington Technology Association
The Smart Tech Challenges Foundation was formed in 2013 with a mission to foster innovation in firearm safety. The Smart Tech for Firearms Challenge granted $1 million to innovators from around the globe to encourage the development of user-authentication features for firearms. Learn more at http://www.smarttechchallengesfoundation.org.