This will be another sensitive post, but one I feel presents an important issue. It does not condemn or condone any of the actors or agencies, it simply presents the story with a tinge of opinion.

When it comes to military firearms, one of the most legendary is the sniper rifle. A precision device for hitting a target at long range, it requires extensive training and skill. The sniper often has to lay low for hours, even days on end waiting for the right opportunity to strike their target. Sometimes the result, and the shot it took to get there, are unbelievable. On the other hand, as someone who lived in the area where the D.C. sniper went on his rampage, I know that like anything, if they fall into the wrong hands, very bad things can result.

Now, an article over on C|Net discusses the military’s interest in a system that could take some of the training out of being a sniper, and make even a mediocre soldier or possibly just an everyday yokel, a masterful sniper. They are currently researching a system made by Tracking Point that attaches to a regular sniper rifle, and can compensate, on its own, for wind, sun, barrel length, distance, and a host of other factors, making it much less difficult – easy, even – to hit the mark. In fact, they can hit a target SEVEN FOOTBALL FIELDS away on their own, and a video on the company’s product page claims their system “eliminates multiple sources of error.” The sniper would be pulling the trigger, but the system would be doing the shooting.

Note in the video below, that at only 11 seconds in, the narrator says “…enabling anyone to hit long distance targets.” It’s fascinating tech, but very chilling at the same time. It’s supposed to be for hunting, but it doesn’t sound like hunting to me.

I’m all for superiority in military conflicts, but my concern is the same as it always is with technologies of this sort. Although it’s a very limited application, and the systems can run between $23,000 and $27,000, I worry about this tech falling into bad hands. As mentioned above, they already sell similar kits to hunters.

Of course, military snipers carry out other, important functions and have significant training in many areas. I never thought I’d see the day when they might start losing jobs to technology.