A “smart gun,” if you have not yet heard, is a firearm that uses some type of technology — fingerprint recognition, etc. — to ensure that it cannot fire unless it is being held by an authorized user. In 2002, New Jersey passed a law saying that once smart handguns become commercially available in the U.S., three years later gun stores won’t be allowed to sell anything else. …

Can New Jersey’s law survive a court challenge under this new regime? It’ll depend on the makeup of the court that hears the challenge, of course — the SCOTUS decisions thus far have involved sweeping bans on gun ownership and use, rather than just gun-store sales, leaving future judges some wiggle room. But there are signs in Heller that a law like this is not acceptable.

Here’s a relevant passage:

“[D.C.’s] handgun ban amounts to a prohibition of an entire class of “arms” that is overwhelmingly chosen by American society for that lawful purpose [of self-defense]. …”