George Orwell’s 1984 was a warning, not an instruction manual. It was based on the very real concern of a government becoming a totalitarian surveillance state where all the people did was observed, recorded, and scrutinized for any sign of WrongThink. It was a terrifying glimpse into Orwell’s fears should his own preferred ideology of socialism take hold and go too far, but it wasn’t just about socialism, either. It was what the state could do when no one stopped it.
And while we’ve often invoked the imagery of Big Brother to make a point about surveillance overreach, things are scarier now than ever before…and gun owners are especially concerned.
Manufacturers of AI software that uses surveillance cameras to search for guns say it makes people safer, but some gun rights activists told Cowboy State Daily they think that’s a brazen violation of Second Amendment and privacy rights.
Companies such as Volt for years has provided gun-detection software to schools, which the company claims helps stop school shootings.
The city of Hobbs, New Mexico, has outfitted about 70 video cameras with software from another company, ZeroEyes.
ZeroEyes claims that the software helps cameras quickly detect drawn firearms, which are then verified at company facilities by human observers, who can alert local authorities.
Gun-detecting AI software doesn’t require dedicated cameras, it can be applied to existing surveillance, traffic and web cameras.
What Difference Would It Make?
Firearms enthusiast Nic George of Sheridan told Cowboy State Daily that he understands the good intentions behind the software, but the broader implications of what gun surveillance might lead to are troubling.
“Right now, it might not be a problem. But what’s the next step?” he said.
As things stand, programs like ZeroEyes raise murky questions when it comes to gun rights, George said.
Now, this particular piece goes on to suggest one potential problem would be someone being charged with brandishing because they pulled their gun in a legitimate self-defense situation, but the camera doesn’t see the other person’s weapon. It’s a fair concern, but I have bigger worries.
Earlier this week, Cam wrote about some concerns regarding the controversial Flock cameras. Thanks to an add-on to the system, your neighborhood Flock cameras can potentially detect all of your electronic devices, such as cell phones, Bluetooth-enabled earbuds, smart watches, etc.
And yeah, the RFID tag on your gun that the dealer forgot to remove.
Still, even without that, these are still cameras. If a system like ZeroEyes can be installed on Flock cameras, imagine you go for a walk, only to have the cameras detect you and that you’re armed. They follow you as you walk around the block, stop to chat with the neighbors, pet the dog from down the street that always wags its tail at you, then circle back home.
Congratulations, you’ve just shown them that you do have a gun in your home, that you carry it, and they may well know every electronic device in your home, which the authorities could then use to spy on you.
I’m not saying that this will happen, mind you, only that I’m not seeing a lot of reasons why it can’t, and that worries me. The fact that AI gun detection software has a track record of not being able to tell the difference between a gun and a bag of chips doesn’t make me feel any better.
Maybe I’m being paranoid, but just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean people aren’t out to get you, and while I know that the ATF probably has a lot of ways to determine who has a gun and who doesn’t, that doesn’t mean I have to allow them to make it easier for them, state authorities, or the local cops.
Editor’s Note: The radical Left will stop at nothing to enact their radical gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.
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