Link

Would You Buy Biofire’s Smart Gun? — SHOT Show 2025

in Levi Sim, SHOT Show 2025
Published On: January 20, 2025 Updated: January 20, 2025 BY Levi Sim

At SHOT Show 2025 Range Day, I was surprised to shoot the Biofire home-defense smart pistol. So-called smart pistols have been in development for a long time, but they were always adaptations of existing handguns with things attached.

This completely original 9mm pistol integrates cutting-edge biometric and facial recognition technology, designed to prevent unauthorized users from firing the weapon. Let’s dive into what sets this futuristic firearm apart.



High-Tech Security Features

The Biofire smart gun incorporates fingerprint and facial recognition sensors, ensuring that only authorized users can operate it. It has seven different sensors to know when you’ve got control of the gun.

The finger sensor near the trigger or the face sensor is required to activate the gun but once it is green the other sensors maintain awareness that you are in control. If you lose your grip it self-disables in less than 200 milliseconds and cannot be fired.


The larger sensor under the slide is for face recognition; one of the grip sensors is on the backstrap.

Once the gun is picked up, it senses movement and quickly scans for either a registered fingerprint or a face through its sensors. If it recognizes an authorized user, the system activates, and an indicator light turns from white to green to signal it’s ready to fire. The front sight is a green light that goes dark when it can’t be fired.


Design and Functionality

Despite its advanced technology, the Biofire smart gun retains familiar controls, including standard slide and magazine releases, and a limited short-action recoil system. It uses a steel 15-round magazine specifically designed by Mec-Gar for this firearm.

The grip sits at a comfortable 18°. The grip modules come in an array of colors with both left- and right-handed controls — no waiting for left-handed models.


The finger sensor under the trigger guard recognizes the user’s middle finger. Grips are available for both left- and right-hands.

The gun is striker-fired, but the trigger does not connect to the firing mechanism. It is fire-by-wire using a solid-state electronic fire control system.

Additionally, Biofire claims the gun is waterproof, and can function in temperatures from -40°C to plus 80°C (-40°F to 176°F). During testing, they fired more than one million rounds through the pistols. With a warranty covering 10,000 rounds, it’s clear durability was a key focus.

Performance Impressions


The front sight is green when the user is recognized; otherwise, it’s dark.

Shooting the Biofire smart gun was a unique experience. The gun felt larger and bulkier than a typical pistol, but its performance was smooth.

It’s got a similar weight to a 1911 with a flashlight. At 30 yards, it delivered consistent, soft-shooting accuracy. Although the trigger electronically controls the striker, it shoots like a regular striker-fired trigger.

The Biofire smart pistol is intended for home defense, so its size and bulk can be excused. It’s for leaving in the drawer by your bed or another convenient place.

Care should be taken with storing all firearms, and this one makes it even harder for an unintended user to shoot it. If close-quarters shooting becomes close-quarters fighting, at least you know your weapon can’t be used against you.

Battery and Docking Station

Its battery lasts a week under normal conditions, and it charges from the included digital display module. The module connects to the gun, but you still have to unlock its functions by allowing the gun to recognize you. The gun lacks any wifi or Bluetooth technology.

A Step Forward or a Slippery Slope?

Kai Koepfer, Biofire’s founder and CEO, began developing this gun when he was 16 years old. He says he was inspired by shootings near his home in Colorado. He secured venture capital in the tens of millions for this project. Now, these pistols are being made in Broomfield, CO.

The Biofire smart gun raises significant questions about technology and firearm use. For some, the added security features make it an attractive option, especially in households with children or shared living spaces.

However, critics may view the technology as a potential gateway to government overreach or hacking concerns.

The price for the pistol and dock is $1,500 and it is shipping now.

quote:

...
Would You Buy Biofire’s Smart Gun? — SHOT Show 2025...

No.

Having used fingerprint and facial recognition software/devices.... no.

I’ll pass also. Seems silly.

Not a snowball's chance in Hell. Never, ever.

Everything else is old world technology, but

quote:

This completely original 9mm pistol integrates cutting-edge biometric and facial recognition technology, designed to blah blah blah...

What a sales pitch. Are we sure this guy is not paid under the table?

Absolutely not.

Now that said at some point we (as people not us here per se) will have to embrace new tech and arms that use power cells etc. I’m not speaking necessarily about locking/safety systems but say a truly portable and effective Gauss rifle comes along or a “phaser” or a truely small and integrated computer targeting system etc. At some point to move forward some of us will have to embrace new tech.

This particular piece of tech is just “gun control…….there’s an app for that” so hell no.

No way. So many things could make the recognition fail.

Does New Jersey still have that law on the books that bans standard handguns once smart guns are on the market?

Hard pass

Nope. Wouldn’t buy one. Outside of the political implications, I have nothing against it being an option on the market, but I’d put it in the same category as those integral locking mechanisms (i.e. someone somewhere will actually be in a situation to find the feature useful, but everyone else who buys one, thinking they are so smart, will just use it as an excuse to neglect logical safe handling practices).

I wouldn't take that fucker if it had a $100 wrapped around it.

Considering all the possible failure modes inherent with this pistol, there isn't a snowball's chance in hades I'd trust it with my life.

So it can recognize your pinkie and your face in total darkness? In the rain? Hows the battery life in the Yoop at -10?
Nope!

There’s part of me that says if I had the budget to collect oddities, I’d absolutely pick one of these up for the sheer novelty of it. I’m a sci fi fan, and I love my future tech spacegun derp. It would never be used as intended, through, and would exist on a display wall with other similarly silly-looking guns.

The rational part of me, however, understands that this exists merely as an argument for gun control, and the continued abridgement of our rights. Like the anti-gun whack jobs who get their hunting license and go walk in the woods with a shotgun on occasion entirely so they can say they’re avid sportsmen and gun owners as a qualifier for when they say “but,” this is nothing I can support purely because of the underlying premise.

I think it would be pretty neat to see what it would take to "blue screen" this sumbitch.

I can envision it now: amid the confusion of a heated and desperate firefight battle, the gun suddenly locks up. On its screen the following text message scrolls across while a slightly inhuman voice murmurs out of the breech opening, literally quoting the same message for all to hear, "You have exhausted your weekly allotted quota of live rounds permitted to be fired. You must now wait 7 days before the account balance is reset to zero prior to you being able to continue your most desperate gun fight. Have a nice day, and stay safe."

Hard pass on that!! Is it made by Mattel??

Biometric guns will ONLY catch on naturally if they are paired with a step forward in projectile technology. If someone made a pocket railgun/Gauss firearm or phased plasma rifle (in the 40 watt range), and the ONLY way to obtain said tech was to buy into the biometric stuff, I could see some enthusiasm. With traditional cartridges, however, it will only ever be seen as a football bat.

That is technologically interesting. Also, Hell No!

quote:

Originally posted by monoblok:
I think it would be pretty neat to see what it would take to "blue screen" this sumbitch.

I can envision it now: amid the confusion of a heated and desperate firefight battle, the gun suddenly locks up. On its screen the following text message scrolls across while a slightly inhuman voice murmurs out of the breech opening, literally quoting the same message for all to hear, "You have exhausted your weekly allotted quota of live rounds permitted to be fired. You must now wait 7 days before the account balance is reset to zero prior to you being able to continue your most desperate gun fight. Have a nice day, and stay safe."

Funny I was thinking they'd go the netflix route and have subscription based defense. Hey thats a catchy name, we should market that.

I could see this being a corporate mandated option for anyone working security detail within an institution or any high risk line of work.

Home defense wouldn't do well with a dead battery (and a dead victim) so I think it is a solution looking for a problem.