I have listened to, read about, and commented on Fascitelli for almost 10 years*. I know enough about him that I think he’s probably a nice guy. I don’t think he is stupid either. He has changed his stance toward gun control and gotten a lot smarter about things (read the links below* and see how his attitude has changed over the years). But this indicates he has some other problem:
They’ve been working on Philadelphia-based Lodestar for a couple of years now. The duo recruited Ginger Chandler, a former Remington executive, to design the product, which, Fascitelli says, will be a gun accompanied by an RFID tag (some argue for fingerprint technology). Smart guns reached a turning point this summer, when New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy reformed that state’s law to allow more research and development of smart guns.
Lodestar, which raised $250,000, is now looking for an additional $3 million to finish its prototype. Its three-person payroll is about $10,000 a month while the team waits for the shift in the political landscape to catch funders’ interest. They estimate potential sales at $1 billion, or about 40% of the 7-million-unit handgun market.
I’ve pointed out the probably unsurmountable problems with his proposed product and company before. But this is another layer of frosting on that cake.
Can he possibly believe their product has a realistic chance at 40% of the handgun market? I don’t think so. Perhaps the author of the article twisted his words, I could believe that. I’ve been misquoted enough that I can give him the benefit of the doubt here. Otherwise one has to conclude he is lying and/or delusional. In the past there have been a number of hints this was true but in recent years he seems to have gotten that pretty much under control.
* Here is a partial list of my posts quoting or referring to him:
- Quote of the day–Ralph Fascitelli (using semi-auto guns to hunt makes you an “animal assassin”)
- It must have been an AK-47
- It was over before it started
- WA AWB is likely DOA
- Benefits of open carry
- Quote of the day–Ralph Fascitelli
- Quote of the day—Dave Workman
- Quote of the day—Ralph Fascitelli
- Seattle Smart Gun Symposium part 1
- Smart Gun Symposium in the news
- Seattle Smart Gun Symposium part 2
- Quote of the day—Ralph Fascitelli
- Quote of the day—Joe Nocera
- Quote of the day—Ralph Fascitelli
- Quote of the day—Ralph Fascitelli (I say some nice things about him here)