Real Light Gun

This idea is a fusion between the laser inserts used in the FATS training program, the light guns used in video games, and my own affinity for dry-firing at my TV. A little background in these concepts is required. If you don't care and just want to see my idea, skip the next three paragraphs.

The FATS (I forget what the acronym stands for) system is a training aid used by police and civilian personnel to develop target identification, scenario-based problem solving and skill-at-arms. It consists of a large projection screen, a computer, and a small device that can be inserted into the chamber of a handgun. At the police academy, we used a 9mm Glock. The little device shoots a laser beam when it's struck by the pistol's firing pin. Thee computer registers "hits" on the screen by measuring the reflection, and a green dot appears on the scene. More than one shot can be fired in rapid succession, and the dynamic scene editor registers lethal hits, non-lethal hits, and misses, and has the appropriate events take place in the film.

Video games have been using a system like this since Duck Hunt. A light gun interacts with a video game console to give the impression that the player is actually shooting things in the video game. The system has taken several forms, but the basic idea is always the same: Point the gun at the screen, pull the trigger, affect the course of the video game.

As a gunowner, I practice a lot. Not having an indoor range available, and not being able to afford 2000 rounds of ammunition every week, much of my practice takes the form of dry-firing, a process by which one practices sight picture, draw, grip, stance, trigger pull, etc. by firing an empty gun in a safe direction. Sometimes I shoot myself in the mirror, sometimes I shoot pictures on the wall, sometimes I shoot the TV. There is an inherent danger in dry-firing, which arises from insufficient safety precautions. On rare occasions, someone will attempt to dry-fire a loaded firearm. Obviously, it ceases to be dry-fire at that point. Rarely, people are hurt or killed due to irresponsible dry-fire practices.

My idea is to integrate all three of these concepts. Build a device that can be inserted into the chamber of a conventional firearm, which will project a laser through the barrel and out the muzzle, on the hypothetical path of the bullet. These things can be very accurate, as I learned in the FATS simulations. Make them in different sizes to accomodate different calibers, and build a machine that will allow the signal to be registered by a sensor on or near the TV. It could be connected to a video game, or just set to impose a little dot onto the screen for a brief moment after each pulse from the laser. With the device in the gun, there's no risk of a round being inadvertently loaded, eliminating the risk of negligent discharge. I can get my practice in without geting rained on, I can project little dots onto my favorite TV personalities, and I can save the world from evil hordes of minions in a video game, all with my very own H&K USP.