[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]
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