This is a problem with all smart guns. They necessarily have a non-zero failure rate associated with the electronic interlock. An integrated physical key operated lock would be more reliable.
And that would help in situations where you KNOW you might use your weapon, but if you had a sudden need to use your weapon and it wasn't already unlocked it would be the kind of failure law enforcement is very afraid of.
Good point, having a key instead of a watch, and inserting the key into the gun to make it work, sounds far more reliable and only slightly more difficult for the user.
"But the criminal could steal the key." Yeah but they could also steal your watch...
It's immensely more problematic. Getting out a key, inserting it into a gun, and operating it under tremendous stress (likely the most stress you've ever been under in your life) requires an amount of fine motor control that most people simply won't have.
It'll also completely removes the element of surprise - you can't draw your gun and fire in one motion, you have to draw, fart around with a lock, then fire. Which is all the opening the bad guy needs to use his against you.
I suggest taking a class, or even watching youtube videos of classes, about active self protection to understand exactly how much stress and how little time is involved in these situations.
But the delay could mean the difference between life and death. Which would encourage users to draw and arm the gun before there's immediate danger, "just in case"...
Good point, that's an actual positive difference in the watch system that I didn't think of at first. The watch "key" is always "in" for you and "out" for someone without the watch on.
What if you need to shoot with your left hand and the watch is on your right? If you make the range long enough for that case to work, it's long enough to have your gun used by someone else close by.
