The owner of a US gun store who had planned to sell the nation’s first “smart gun” – a weapon that can only be fired by its legal owner – changed his mind after receiving death threats from gun enthusiasts. Andy Raymond, the co-owner of Engage Armament, a Maryland shop known for its custom assault rifles, was going to sell the German-made Armatix iP1 handgun. Hailed as a breakthrough in gun safety, it uses radio frequency technology to identify its owner via a matching device they strap to their wrist. Raymond, who describes himself as “on the right-wing vanguard of gun rights”, said that gun enthusiasts had threatened to shoot him if he stocked the smart gun, as they believe it threatens their constitutional rights.
(The Week).

Epicurus might have pointed out that Mr. Raymond has a constitutional right to sell any legal item he wishes, without impediment. The people threatening him are breaking the law and should be arrested. What are the police or the FBI doing about this threat to the liberty of the individual? They have never been frightened by armed bullies before. Or do the gun extremists think they are now invulnerable? Let them know that there is a law of diminishing returns and that they are on the cusp of alienating the majority of law-abiding citizens. This situation is becoming intolerable, a step too far.