Smith & Wesson Gets ‘Smart Gun’ Grant

Smith & Wesson Co., the world’s top handgun maker, will get a $1.8-million grant from the Justice Department to develop a “smart gun” that would permit only the owner to fire the weapon, Massachusetts lawmakers said.

Smith & Wesson said it will use the money to continue research into fingerprint-matching technology and an electronic system to prevent people besides the gun owner from firing the weapon.

The grant follows an agreement that Smith & Wesson struck with the Clinton administration and Boston last year in which it agreed to change the way it makes and sells weapons. Critics said the agreement bypassed the legislative process and infringed on the rights of gun owners.