#RFID

RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) is a technology that practically permeates our modern lives. Everything from your passport, your keyfob at work, tags on the back of your equipment, and even your dog or cat probably has an RFID tag in it that contains important information. Guns are part of this equation too and it is being used predictably by some of the United States Armed Forces to keep track of weapons to prevent potential theft as well as help aid in weapon inventory tasks and distribution. However, recent research has revealed that RFID technology inside the military’s weapons poses a “significant” security risk according to the Department of Defense.

Kansas-based SmartGunz have announced that their Sentry 9mm pistol, the company’s first product, will begin shipping in the 2nd quarter of 2021. Physically the SmartGunz Sentry is a 9x19mm 1911 pistol, but it utilises RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology to enable the gun to be used by its designated user.

Hornady has upgraded a number of their different lines of ammunition, to include a subsonic line for popular lever-action cartridges. In addition, they have a whole new line of gun safes that use RFID technology to open. These chips can be embedded in everyday objects such as a phone case allowing users to activate the doors to the cases.

Good news: your agency has just ordered a long-awaited batch of rifles and pistols to complement and eventually replace the current inventory in use. Bad news: you are given the Herculean task of keeping a detailed track and record of the weapons’ use, both in training and in actual operations, so that an adequate maintenance program can be established and followed. Good news, again: enter the WeaponLogic Ecosystem, from Israel, that the Secubit company presented for the first time at the recent LAAD 2019 Defence and Security Exhibition in Rio de Janeiro.

Hornady has been making Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) firearm safes for the last six years under the RAPiD Safe line.  Hornady has just secured two patents relating to that RFID technology.  That line of safes allows users to open the safe with the right key card, key fob, or wristband.  Simply waving the card or wristband over the safe opens it and allows full access to the firearm within.

In 2017, at the French exhibition Milipol, TFB told you about and showed you pictures of FN Herstal’s SCAR-SC with 300 BLK in development.

A couple of months back I did an install of a Tactical Walls RFID shelf ( along with a write up). I have been pretty pleased with it and have not had any problems with it–I operate it at least twice a day (staging in the morning, and withdrawing at night).

Amal Graafstra has been biohacking since 2000. For those not familiar with biohacking, it is the implantation of a device to interact with technology. The basic ones I have heard of are magnets embedded in finger tips. Other examples involved injecting a small RFID into your skin. That is what Amal has done here. His company, Dangerous Things, sells self inejctable RFIDs. It is considered body augmentation. Coupled with the right technology you can unlock the door to your house with just a wave of your hand.

In a world of mass-produced, injection molded guns and gear, it is refreshing to know that real craftsmanship still exists. QLine Design, a custom furniture manufacturer, combines functional artwork with a blend of technology to create hidden compartments that can store pistols, rifles, jewelry, documents and anything else you want to keep secret.

TacticalWalls, known for their discreet yet in-plain-sight firearms storage devices has announced the release of their latest models including Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) models. The RFID models will take advantage of a “faster” unlocking mechanism using a standard credit-card sized RFID card.

We’ve published a couple of press releases around the “tactical furniture” concept. The problem is that you can only get so much detail from a press kit, and I always wondered exactly how well they were constructed. They had a small display at Industry Day at the Range as well as the main venue and I was finally got some time to be hands on with the actual product.

Discussions about smart guns have been underway for some time now and has, in recent years, been actively pursued by a handful of tech companies. In fact, Jonathon Mossberg who is indeed part of the almost 100-year-old O.F. Mossberg and Sons company, started his own smart gun research a few years ago. His company, iGun Technology Corporation, first set its sights on shotguns. Their idea was to use magnetic spectrum token technology which works much like RFID. The 12-gauge shotgun was designed to fire only within a certain range of the token which was, in this case, a ring meant to be worn on the shooter’s trigger hand. In 2013 the National Institute of Justice called the gun “the first personalized firearm to go beyond a prototype to an actual commercializable or production-ready product.” And, of course, Jonathon Mossberg is not the only one involved in the smart gun race.

In my third Hornady gun safe unboxing & review video, I take a look at the Rapid Gun Safe which has multiple RFID options (bracelet, card, and key fob). Weighing in at 15.65 lbs, this safe has a lot more heft than it’s two smaller cousins.

Quicksafes was voted #1 New Product at the 2015 SHOT Show in Vegas. QuickVent is a wall safe that is disguised as a air conditioning vent.. It opens using a RFID card.