By David Codrea
USA – -(Ammoland.com)- “Who knew R2D2 loved gun control?!”
Jenn Jaques of Bearing Arms asks.”The Mountain View startup company Knightscope currently has a line of Autonomous Data Machines (ADMs) capable of taking 360-degree HD video, detecting physical presence, and recognizing license plates and faces.
K5s have broadcasting and sophisticated monitoring capabilities to keep public spaces, such as malls and office buildings, monitored for crime as they rove through open areas, halls and corridors working to detect suspicious activity, and could soon be able to detect your gun.”
This I had to see for myself.
True enough, on the SeedInvest “equity crowd funding platform,” hopeful proprietor Knightscope uses a #StopThe Violence hashtag to supplement its claim that “Autonomous security robots provid[e] advanced detection capabilities at $7 per hour – aiming to define the future of security.”
And the reason they’re doing this?
“We started Knightscope because we were horrified by the mass shooting at Sandy Hook and the impact of 9/11 on our country. We are all tired of waking up every morning to see a new horrific event on our news feeds. No number of ‘thoughts and prayers’ is going to solve the problem. Our team wakes up every morning with a singular focus and chance to do something about it – and we have and will continue to put our blood, sweat and tears into the effort of better protecting our country and keeping our communities safe. No matter what it takes.”
Evidently, what the Founders deemed “necessary to the security of a free State” must no longer apply now that venture capitalists and technoweenies have decided an R2D2 clone is just the ticket.
That it can be rendered useless with a Hefty bag or a Louisville slugger, or any of a countless number of ways, seems not to be much of a concern.
As for stopping another developing Sandy Hook, the droids hardly look impervious to a well-placed .223 round or two, and when seconds count, an armed response team will still be minutes away.
As for stopping another 9/11, it’s up to Knightscope to flesh that one out. Without details, that expectation seems beyond ludicrous, although the case could be made that there’s no shortage of programmed TSA drones already.
And as for detecting guns, unless they’re being brandished, which means a victim pool and witnesses equipped with cell phones will be flooding the 911 switchboard, what else will the robot do? Assuming it can’t scan through clothes, differentiate between lawful and unlawful open and concealed carry, or fire back, what will it actually do that less expensive (and superior human) options won’t? Besides roll around and give clueless cud-chewers a “feeling” they are being protected in “gun free zones,” all the while discouraging the only real defensive choices out there?
There’s just no substitute for individual preparedness, situational awareness and training. If what you’re expecting it to be protected and kept safe by some machine, these aren’t the droids you’re looking for.
About David Codrea:
David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating / defending the RKBA and a long-time gun rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament.
In addition to being a field editor/columnist at GUNS Magazine and associate editor for Oath Keepers, he blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.