Imagine having a bond between a gun owner and his or her weapon that is so strong the weapon would be useless in the hands of any third party. It may happen soon.

Gunmakers are, in fact, working on new "smart technology" that would personalize handguns and rifles. One system being tested would require the owner to wear an identifying ring or bracelet that would trip a magnetic or electronic lock before the weapon could be fired.That technology is not yet available to consumers. What devices are available range from locking safes to keyed trigger locks.

Shootings in Colorado and Michigan in the past year and the controversial agreement recently signed between Smith and Wesson and the federal government have focused a great deal of attention on gun safety in recent months.

Jon Moore, division merchandising manager for Gart Sports, said demand for safety systems is so great "that we're finding it difficult to keep up with demand."

The two most common safety devices are the trigger locks and the barrel and chamber inserts.

Here in Utah, said Mitch West, manager of the gun department in Gart Sports' Sportscastle in Murray, the most popular system is the trigger lock.

The device comes in two pieces. When pressed together they form a barrier that makes it impossible to fire the weapon. It can be unlocked with a key or resettable combination.

Most trigger locks are easy to use but require the owner to actively install the system.

One reason owners like the trigger lock is that it makes it possible to easily and comfortably transport the weapon in safety.

However, manufacturers caution owners that there is significant risk of an unintentional discharge when putting on or taking off the trigger guard on a loaded weapon.

Use of the device renders the weapon harmless as long as unauthorized individuals do not have access to the key or combination.

Lock manufacturers have made it possible for owners of more than one weapon to have a separate key for each lock or have a common key to access a number of locks.

The next most popular system in Utah is the barrel and chamber insert. These systems can be anything from a cable that threads through the barrel or magazine clip, to a rod that goes down through the barrel and into the chamber.

In the case of the cable, it is threaded down the barrel and chamber, and then the two ends are brought together and locked. On a rifle the cable can be threaded through the magazine housing, which makes it impossible to load the weapon.

Barrel and chamber inserts prevent unintended discharge since they physically prohibit a cartridge from being placed in the chamber.

This, too, is an active safety device that requires the gun owner to physically engage or respond to the system.

These systems can also be locked and unlocked with either a key or a combination.

Most firearms come with some type of built-in safety devices that are intrinsic in nature, such as a loaded chamber indicator, magazine disconnector or manual safety.

All firearms come with a manual safety to reduce the unintentional discharge of the weapon. As easy as the manual safety is to set, however, it is just as easy to release -- sometimes unintentionally.

A loaded chamber indicator, found on some models, will indicate to the user that there is a cartridge in the chamber.

Some handguns come with a drop-safety device. Because of unintentional discharges of revolvers being dropped back in the 1880s, gunmakers started to place an insert between the hammer and firing pin, which falls down when the trigger is pulled.

Locked boxes or safes are another means of keeping firearms out of the hands of unauthorized people. These can range from individual containers the size of a shoe box to free-standing safes.

Despite a growing urgency to render firearms harmless, especially in the hands of children, it is estimated that as many as 8.3 million U.S. children live in households with unlocked guns. This includes 2.6 million children in households where firearms are store unlocked and loaded or with ammunition nearby.

Most new firearms are coming to buyers with some type of locking device. According to Moore, Gart Sports will soon be starting a program to put locking systems on all firearms sold at 61 of its 130 stores nationwide.

Recently, Denver started a program where it offered free trigger locks to gun owners. So popular was the program that of the 5,000 made available, only a few hundred remain and officials are looking at purchasing more.

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Smith and Wesson, the nation's largest gun manufacturer, has also agreed to provide external safety locks on all its handguns within the next two months and internal locks within two years.

Most of the concern, of course, centers on older weapons that are currently in U.S. households that do not have any type of safety device.

Manufacturers are quick to point out that safety devices, such as trigger and cable locks, are not intended to stop someone from stealing the weapon, only to stop accidents.

And the safety devices will work only as long as they are properly used.

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