[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 220 (Tuesday, November 15, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 80087-80088]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-27387]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Office of Justice Programs

[OJP (NIJ) Docket No. 1729]


Baseline Specifications for Law Enforcement Service Pistols With 
Security Technology

AGENCY: National Institute of Justice, Justice.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) announces the 
publication of Baseline Specifications for Law Enforcement Service 
Pistols with Security Technology, which defines baseline specifications 
for law enforcement service pistols with additional technology to 
enhance the security of the firearms, found here: http://nij.gov/topics/technology/firearms/pages/welcome.aspx.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Greene, Office of Science and 
Technology, National Institute of Justice, 810 7th Street NW., 
Washington, DC 20531; telephone number: (202) 598-9412; email address: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On April 29, 2016, the U.S. Departments of 
Justice (DOJ), Homeland Security (DHS), and Defense (DoD) submitted a 
joint report to the President outlining a strategy to expedite 
deployment of gun safety technology, found here: https://

[[Page 80088]]

www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/final_report-
smart_gun_report.pdf.
    The report was published in response to Presidential Memorandum, 
Promoting Smart Gun Technology, found here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/01/05/memorandum-promoting-smart-gun-technology. 
The report described the potential benefits of advanced gun safety 
technology, but noted that additional work was required before this 
technology is ready for widespread adoption by law enforcement 
agencies. In particular, the report stressed the importance of 
integrating this technology into a firearm's design without 
compromising the reliability, durability, and accuracy that officers 
expect from their service weapons.
    To address these issues, the report called on law enforcement 
agencies to develop ``baseline specifications,'' which would outline 
the agencies' operational requirements for any firearms equipped with 
gun safety technology. By developing baseline specifications, federal, 
state, and municipal law enforcement agencies can make clear to private 
manufacturers what they expect from this technology.
    DOJ and DHS recently assembled a working group of experts in 
firearms technology to identify operational needs and prepare a draft 
document that defines generic baseline specifications for law 
enforcement service pistols with additional technology to enhance the 
security of firearms. The additional security specifications that may 
be addressed by smart gun technology are distinguished from more 
familiar firearm safety mechanisms. The distinction between safety and 
security can be nuanced, and the additional security specifications may 
also function as safety features under certain circumstances. However, 
this distinction forms the basis of the use of the different 
terminology. The working group was led by NIJ and was comprised of 
subject matter experts from various federal law enforcement agencies. 
The pistols defined by this document are semi-automatic, recoil-
operated, magazine-fed, striker-fired, and fire 9 mm Luger or .40 S&W 
ammunition. The information detailed in this document is informed in 
part by specifications enumerated in recent handgun solicitations by 
the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Immigration and Customs 
Enforcement (ICE), which are publicly available on FedBizOpps (http://www.fbo.gov) under solicitation numbers RFP-OSCU-DSU1503 and HSCEMS-16-
R-00003, respectively.
    NIJ published a Federal Register notice (https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2016-16759) on July 15, 2016, seeking 
feedback from the public on the draft document that defined generic 
baseline specifications for law enforcement service pistols with 
additional technology to enhance the security of the firearms. The 60-
day public comment period closed on September 13, 2016. The working 
group made revisions to the draft document, and the final version of 
the document, Baseline Specifications for Law Enforcement Service 
Pistols with Security Technology, is published here: http://nij.gov/topics/technology/firearms/pages/welcome.aspx.

Nancy Rodriguez,
Director, National Institute of Justice.
[FR Doc. 2016-27387 Filed 11-14-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4410-18-P