A VICE journalist was caught pointing a so-called “Smart Gun” toward a journalist and pulling the trigger during a segment in a documentary urging gun safety.

Townhall senior writer Julio Rosas isolated the segment from a VICE Motherboard documentary in which the reporter pointed a Thompson submachine gun with a drum mag inserted into it at a cameraman and then pulled the trigger:

Still can't get over that a Vice reporter, in a video on "smart guns" helping prevent accidental shootings, decided to it was a good idea to point a Thompson, that had a drug mag in, at his cameraman, pull the trigger, and then say, "I didn't think it was going to do that." pic.twitter.com/O3M3kLd0Ag

— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) January 23, 2020

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The clip is from a 2017 documentary featuring Motherboard Features Editor Brian Anderson arguing in favor of “Smart Gun” mandates to infringe upon the 2nd Amendment. The documentary is titled: “Who Killed the Smart Gun?”

A “smart gun” is designed to only fire in the hands of an authorized user, and make it easier for police to identify criminals following instances of gun-related violence. The sophisticated technology implanted in the weapons could make it easier for gun owners to be profiled or tracked, however, or the gun could be disabled remotely by usurping government agents.

“America is a gun culture. It always has been. With an estimated 260 to 300 million guns in the national gun stock today, firearms aren’t going anywhere. And it would appear the political will to craft robust nationwide gun control legislation remains dead in the water,” VICE Motherboard wrote to promote their documentary.

“But with an epidemic of mass shootings, and gun accidents devastating communities nationwide, a small movement seeks to change the very technology at the heart of firearms. Yet the players behind this movement to create user-authenticated firearms, or so-called smart guns that only fire in the hands of approved users, are blocked at every turn,” they added.

The NRA has issued a brief fact sheet on “smart guns” on their website:

Conceptually, a “smart” gun is one that incorporates technology that would prevent the gun from being used by an unauthorized person. Currently, no viable guns equipped with such technology exist.

Gun control supporters advocate laws to prohibit the sale of firearms that do not possess “smart” technology, as a way to prohibit the manufacture of traditional handguns, raise the price of handguns that would be allowed to be sold and, presumably, to imbed into handguns a device that would allow guns to be disabled remotely.

The NRA doesn’t oppose the development of “smart” guns, nor the ability of Americans to voluntarily acquire them. However, NRA opposes any law prohibiting Americans from acquiring or possessing firearms that don’t possess “smart” gun technology.

The full documentary can be seen here:

Twitter users hammered Anderson for his reckless behavior with a firearm, with some individuals making the point that liberals who report on guns typically understand very little about the topic in which they are covering.

Please, editors, don't let reporters who don't know the basics of gun safety handle firearms for a piece without getting training first. This reporter violated all three gun safety rules. He assumed the gun was unloaded, pointed it at someone, and pulled the trigger. https://t.co/7t4bm69Umo

— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) January 23, 2020

Hey @VICE, what the absolute f**k?

This guy just pointed a firearm at his camera person and pulled the trigger.

3 rules:

Never point a gun at something you aren’t willing to destroy. Finger off trigger until ready to fire. Treat every gun like it’s loaded.

Broke all 3. pic.twitter.com/MzwVUa66ZF

— Ford Fischer (@FordFischer) January 23, 2020

Oooof. No wonder why they butcher reporting on firearms. #BadForm

— Gabriella Hoffman (@Gabby_Hoffman) January 23, 2020

The fake news media has inadvertently demonstrated exactly what not to do when handling firearms.