[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 83 (Friday, April 29, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Page 25718]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-10121]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

National Institute of Justice

[OJP (NIJ) Docket No. 1709]


Draft Test Procedures for the Gun Safety Technology Challenge

AGENCY: National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice, Programs, 
Department of Justice.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) seeks feedback from 
the public on the draft test procedures developed for the Gun Safety 
Technology Challenge, published here: http://www.nij.gov/funding/pages/fy16-gun-safety-challenge.aspx. The document describes test methods to 
provide a basis to determine whether the addition of a smart gun 
technology does or does not significantly reduce the reliability of the 
firearm system compared to existing firearms.

DATES: Comments must be received by 5 p.m. Eastern Time on June 13, 
2016.
    How to Respond and What to Include: The draft test procedures 
document in both Word and pdf formats can be found here: http://www.nij.gov/funding/pages/fy16-gun-safety-challenge.aspx. To submit 
comments, please send an email to [email protected]. Please 
indicate the page number, section number, and the line number 
associated with each comment. Comments may also be provided as a markup 
of the Word document. Please provide contact information with the 
submission of comments.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NIJ was tasked with supporting the 
President's Plan to Reduce Gun Violence, specifically:
    ``The President is directing the Attorney General to work with 
technology experts to review existing and emerging gun safety 
technologies, and to issue a report on the availability and use of 
those technologies. In addition, the Administration will issue a 
challenge to the private sector to develop innovative and cost-
effective gun safety technology and provide prizes for those 
technologies that are proven to be reliable and effective.''
    In support of this Executive action, NIJ has conducted a technology 
assessment and market survey of existing and emerging gun safety 
technologies that would be of interest to the law enforcement and 
criminal justice communities and others with an interest in gun safety 
and advanced firearm technology. These firearms or firearms accessories 
can be understood to use integrated components that exclusively permit 
an authorized user or set of users to operate or fire the gun and 
automatically deactivate it under a set of specific circumstances, 
reducing the chances of accidental or purposeful use by an unauthorized 
user. The integrated gun safety technology may include different 
authentication technologies, such as radio frequency identification and 
fingerprint sensors.
    A report published in June 2013 by NIJ entitled A Review of Gun 
Safety Technologies (https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/242500.pdf) 
examined existing and emerging gun safety technologies, and their 
availability and use, to provide a comprehensive perspective on 
firearms with integrated advanced safety technologies. Following the 
report, NIJ published a Federal Register Notice (https://federalregister.gov/a/2014-27368) to receive information regarding 
which firearms and firearms accessories, that incorporate advanced 
safety technologies, could be made available by industry for testing 
and evaluation in the Challenge.
    NIJ now seeks an objective demonstration of the reliability of 
firearms available today with advanced gun safety technology integrated 
into the firearm. The reliability of firearms with integrated advanced 
safety technologies has been cited as a concern regarding the potential 
performance and user acceptance of products that may incorporate such 
technologies, as discussed in the 2013 NIJ report. It is anticipated 
that the results of the Challenge will provide a basis to improve the 
general understanding of whether the addition of a smart gun technology 
does or does not significantly reduce the reliability of the firearm 
system compared to existing firearms. It is believed that this is the 
first effort to apply a methodology to provide a rigorous and 
scientific assessment of the technical performance characteristics of 
these types of firearms.
    With this Challenge, manufacturers and developers of (1) firearms 
that incorporate advanced safety technologies or (2) firearms 
accessories utilizing advanced safety technologies that are intended to 
modify firearms were able to submit their products for testing and 
evaluation. The Challenge is designed to proceed in an escalated manner 
in three stages, including an informational and safety review, light 
duty single product testing, and more heavy duty expanded product 
testing. To assess the reliability of smart gun technology, the U.S. 
Army Aberdeen Test Center (ATC) plans to perform firearm testing and 
evaluation. The Challenge was published on October 7, 2015, and closed 
to submissions on January 5, 2016.
    NIJ hopes to better understand the effect of smart gun technology 
on the reliability of the firearm versus the same or similar firearms 
without the added safety technology. This Challenge seeks ``apples to 
apples'' comparisons to the greatest extent possible. Testing and 
evaluation is designed to prioritize the collection and use of data 
that can substantiate conclusions about the relative performance of 
firearms, so that firearms with and without advanced gun safety 
technology that are similar with respect to type, form factor, caliber, 
and other physical characteristics are tested and evaluated using a 
common methodology and equivalent ammunition. Testing and evaluation is 
not designed to provide comparison of test results against absolute 
performance requirements or safety criteria, but rather to provide a 
meaningful comparison of test results of one firearm against another 
similar firearm, or a firearm with and without a relevant safety 
accessory.

Nancy Rodriguez,
Director, National Institute of Justice.
[FR Doc. 2016-10121 Filed 4-28-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4410-18-P