Implementation
A blockchain solution to gun control would work similar to current cryptocurrency implementations of blockchain technology. First, individuals currently owning a gun or purchasing a gun would get an electronic gun safe, similar to a bitcoin (BTC) wallet. This wallet would ideally be tied to biometric data such as a retina scan or fingerprint. Whenever a gun was created, purchased or sold, the transaction from one electronic gun safe to another would be recorded on the blockchain in an immutable, time-stamped manner.
All transactions would require both the seller and a licensed gun dealer to approve the sale. Similar to a multi-sig wallet, both parties would need to sign the transfer. Similarly, prior to the transfer, the receiver of the gun would have to pass a background check. Until this was done, ownership could not be transferred. This would operate similar to an Ethereum based smart contract. If they pass the background check, the transfer is allowed, and if not, the transfer is denied and recorded in that individual’s electronic gun safe.
Ideally, the contents of the electronic gun safe would not only include the gun’s identification by ballistic fingerprinting or microstamping, it would also include pertinent data about that individual. For example, a person’s electronic gun safe could include a wide range of data such as history of illegal activity, parole status, domestic violence convictions, and mental health issues. This data could be embedded in the electronic gun safe in a manner much more private than existing databases are able to achieve. Although privacy concerns may prohibit additional data being placed in the electronic gun safe, some countries may find it acceptable to also embed data from Internet browsing, similar to marketing data Facebook, Google, and Amazon currently collect. Artificial intelligence methods similar to those used in Internet marketing could potentially identify relevant mental health issues, such as an obsession with gun violence as found, posthumously, in a recent school shooter [19, 20]. A person’s browsing information is already being extensively tracked commercially, and this information could be incorporated into the electronic gun safe. The No-Fly List could be incorporated into the blockchain [21]. An obsession with guns or gun violence may not automatically trigger a denial of gun ownership, but it could at least trigger a more thorough investigation of the potential buyer prior to the sale being finalized. Total number of guns owned could be more reliably tracked. This could potentially identify high risk individuals such as the Las Vegas shooter, who bought 33 guns in the 12 months preceding his mass shooting [22].
Implementing blockchain technology into gun control is both necessary from a public health standpoint and is economically viable. Simply creating a blockchain record of transactions would save an enormous amount of money by decreasing the amount of labor required to perform gun traces. Implementation would be straightforward, as the underlying technology is already well developed. Individuals would have their own, unique electronic gun safe which would operate similar to a BTC wallet. Gun transactions would be similar to spending and receiving bitcoins. Using multisig wallet and smart contract technology, the safe transfer of guns between legal owners satisfying current laws could be reliably performed. Privacy concerns could be achieved using anonymous technology that has already been implemented in ZCash, Monero, and DASH. Implementing better technology, not just more laws, is key to achieving better gun control and reducing gun related violence.
Through the use of colored coins, the proposal laid out above could be built on top of the established bitcoin blockchain. Colored coins bind meta-data to a specific bitcoin transaction, effectively turning the bitcoin into a token by “coloring” it with the meta-data. This meta-data can contain information on assets such as guns, and additional data describing the gun owner [23].
Finally, putting background check information, gun transfer information, and gun owner information onto a blockchain system, there would be a much greater ability to determine the overall gun ownership in the US. A gun regulatory board could then be setup to help determine and balance the legal rights to gun ownership with the public health concerns of excessive gun availability. This gun regulatory board could thus operate very loosely like a central bank, limiting the importation or manufacture of new guns when the overall number of guns in society exceeded a certain level. Although gun ownership is a constitutional right in the US, guns also are the agent, the vector if you will, of an established public health epidemic. Tracking guns with advanced blockchain protocols will to help determine overall gun burden upon society, so reasonable gun control measures can be implemented.