Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Does anyone remember those Looney Tunes in which Bugs Bunny is fleeing from a speeding bullet, and every time he zig-zags, the bullet changes direction along with him? Well, Sandia National Laboratories, a division of Lockheed Martin, has announced the successful development of a rifle for use by the military that fires self-guided bullets. In theory, these weapons could hit a laser-designated target from very long distances. Just point and shoot. The bullet does all the work. Sandia's motto on their website is “securing a peaceful and free world through technology."

Photo by www.defenceimages.mod.uk

The bullet works on the same principle as a smart bomb. An optical sensor in the nose of the bullet detects a laser beam on the target and sends feedback to a control system, also built into the bullet. The bullet flies straighter than usual because it lacks the spin caused by the uneven surface which keeps a normal bullet from hitting its target. It has a smooth surface and fins to prevent it from spinning. According to Sandia, a typical bullet misses a target one-half mile away by 9.8 yards, while this bullet only misses by 8 inches.

The key to near perfect accuracy is “painting” the target with a laser beam. I presume the laser is built into the scope of the rifle. The shooter will only have to keep the laser on the target until the bullet arrives. However, this limits the range of the weapon. An alternative would be a two-person operation, with one person spotlighting the target with a laser while the other fires the weapon. In theory, this would allow the shooter to hit the target from an even greater distance and may not require a direct line of sight to the target.

Doesn't this begin to sound like a political assassin's wet dream?

Stanley Milgram and other social psychologists who have found that anything that decreases salience of a helpless victim increases willingness to harm that victim. The physical distance between an aggressor and his target is one factor determining salience. It's much easier to kill someone from a distance of half a mile than from three feet, where you have to see, hear and smell his death.

Here's a cheerful video from a fellow who doesn't see any downside to this weapon:

Sandia's press release says, “Potential customers for the bullet include the military, law enforcement and recreational shooters.” (That's funny. The reporter on the video said that too. I guess plagiarizing from a corporate press release is much easier than writing your own copy. And they don't seem to mind at all!) The only impediment would seem to be the cost. Of course, cost is no problem for the U. S. military, but every police force in the country will want to have them as well. Not to worry. I'm sure most communities will be willing to lay off a public school teacher or two in order to accomodate them. As these weapons become more common, how long will it be before they start to disappear from the supply room?

Certainly, many hunters will want to have one in order to add a few extra inches to their manhood. But it seems to me that self-guided bullets are the hunter's equivalent of “fishing” by throwing a stick of dynamite into a pond and picking up the dead fish as they float to the surface. They're just not very sporting.

What's to keep every moron in the country from owning one of these toys? The National Rifle Association will surely insist that anyone who can legally buy a gun can has a right to have one that fires self-guided bullets. After all, they are needed in order to protect ourselves from our neighbors, who we suspect are also planning to purchase one of these weapons.

Price may turn out not be a problem. Sandia says these weapons “can be developed inexpensively and rapidly.” You and I have already paid for the R&D. There are big bucks to be made by pricing them to sell. Public subsidies followed by private profits. This is the corporate welfare state as it's intended to function. 

If one of these rifles and six bullets winds up costing less than a laptop computer, I'm going to be worried.