Comm-Link:Tracker - Weapon Safety

Welcome back, Hunters. This is Garret Coliga coming back at you with more TRACKER, the official source for Bounty Hunter Guild bounties and other info. Today’s episode is brought to you by CenterMass, your single-store solution for all your offensive and defensive needs. Stop by any of their franchises to get the feed on the latest deals from the manufacturers you’ve come to trust.

We’re going to talk to Callum Ringi in a moment, but first, I’ve got a couple more late additions to this episode’s HotSheet.

First up, Marshall Theodore. First time offender, bounty’s been posted by the CCB. Looks like a Fugi run, apparently the kid took out a loan and is trying to skip on paying any of it back. Probably low threat, but be careful, kid’s probably scared and twitchy. Theodore’s last known reg-tag-flags were in Magnus, Nexus, then nothing.

Next … hmm … this seems like it’s a misprint, but my producer is swearing that it’s not. A renewed bounty has been issued for members of the Orion Network. Last I heard, they all got vented both personally and professionally by the Marines, but I guess not. Bounty was filed in Elysium, so I guess their resurrection moved them to a new part of space as well.

That’s all for now. Remember to consult your local Guild or Law Enforcement office for a complete list of available bounties and double-check any bounty before confronting a fugitive, as bounties may have been cleared. All cases must be performed by licensed Guild Members in good standing.

All right. I’d like to introduce our guest for the show. He began serving in the Lago local militia at 17. After three years of dedicated service, he was hired onto the local police force where he served with distinction for another ten before moving up to the Advocacy where he’s been ever since. Let me introduce Callum Ringi.

''Callum Ringi: Hi, Garret. That was quite an introduction.''

Quite a career. So what is your focus at the Advocacy?

''Callum Ringi: I was a field agent for most of my career. About seven years ago, I got tapped on a bad raid on Prime, so I transferred behind a desk. Now I’m focusing on system security.''

Is that like border security?

''Callum Ringi: No … well, kind of. It’s mostly theoretical work analyzing criminal stats and looking at better ways to maintain order in heavily trafficked areas.''

And this is the Armistice Initiative?

''Callum Ringi: Yes. For several years now, the Advocacy has been working with the Senate and concerned members of the weapons industry to minimize the capacity for violence in secure space, whether intentional or not.''

How so?

''Callum Ringi: Well, it’s an understood fact that most ships feature a weapons payload of some kind. While the UEE isn’t against the ownership of these weapons, it does present an interesting conundrum in areas where you are trying to maintain safety. If everybody can fire their weapons at any time; does that make it more secure or more precarious? The Armistice Initiative is experimenting with a new system that would automatically enable weapon safeties on ships as they enter a secure system. The theory being that it would deter escalations to violence while also protecting against accidental discharge.''

With all due respect, what you’re suggesting sounds nice in theory, but I feel like it’s not as simple as you’d like to think.

Callum Ringi: That’s why I’m here, Garret, we want to reach out to various professionals to hear their insight on the potential shortcomings.

Then get comfy. First of all, I don’t like the idea of somebody taking away control of my weapons. What if I discovered a client hiding out in system? Am I just supposed to subdue him with my personality?

''Callum Ringi: You would never lose control. That’s an important thing to remember. It’s just a safety. You can always disable it.''

Then what’s the point of the system?

Callum Ringi: Well, if you disabled it, the system would simply notify nearby ships that your weapons were armed.

So they would arm theirs just in case I tried to shoot.

Callum Ringi: Probably, yes, but if you don’t open fire, you don’t have anything to worry about.

I guess I’m just a little fuzzy on what this will actually prevent.

''Callum Ringi: We’re hoping that it makes it easier to identify those with hostile intent as well as prevent accidental discharge of weapons. It’s a defense that we’re hearing with surprising regularity in our courts at the moment.''

Sorry, Callum. I’m still not buying, but we’ll get back into it after some brief messages from our sponsors. So stick around if you can. If you can’t, you take care and watch your back.

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