New York ( CNN ) -- A gun law passed by the New Jersey legislature more than a decade ago may be set into motion as tech savvy gun makers get closer to being able to sell so-called smart guns in the United States . The idea behind this firearms technology is to create `` personalized '' guns that only fire in the right hands -- whether by recognizing a certain signal from a watch , a ring or even just the right grip . The New Jersey law is the only one of its kind in the United States . It requires that within three years of the technology being available , only smart guns be sold in the state . The new technology has become one more point of contention in the gun debate , with gun-control supporters expecting it to lead to fewer injuries and deaths and the pro-gun side arguing that it will take away options from gun owners . `` The problem is you have an industry that is totally reluctant to embrace any changes to make their products safer , '' said Ladd Everitt , communications director of the Washington D.C.-based Coalition to Stop Gun Violence . `` The benefits of this technology should be obvious to anyone , '' he said . `` The key is implementation . It is going to take some political will . Will you have a state government in New Jersey with the political will to see this through ? '' The country 's largest gun advocacy organization , the National Rifle Association , did not respond to requests for comment . `` New Jersey 's smart-gun law is as dumb as it gets , '' said Scott Bach , executive director of the Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs , a group affiliated with the NRA . `` It forces you to use an unproven technology to defend your life , and then exempts the state from liability when the gun goes 'click ' instead of 'bang , ' '' he said . `` If it 's such a great idea , then law enforcement should n't be exempt , and the free market should be allowed to determine its viability . '' One Germany-based company , Armatix , which already sells personalized guns in Europe , expects to have its Armatix iP1 digital pistol available on the nation 's shelves `` within weeks , '' according to Belinda Padilla , president and CEO . Armatix uses radio frequency technology in its .22-caliber digital pistol , which unlocks with a digital watch and a PIN . If someone who is n't wearing the watch grabs the gun , it immediately deactivates . `` Our digital pistol is the first of its kind and has gone through rigorous testing in Germany -- some of the highest standards -- and in the U.S , '' Padilla told CNN . `` Anybody who picks up the handgun , whether it 's a child or it 's actively stolen , they ca n't activate the watch . '' Another firm , Kodiak Industries of Utah , markets an `` Intelligun , '' which uses a fingerprint-based locking system . Bill Gentry , president of Kodiak , said the company began taking preorders in January . The personalized weapon will be in full production by the end of December . Armatix , Kodiak and other smart-gun makers are poised to force acting New Jersey Attorney General John Jay Hoffman , a Republican , to decide how to implement the law . ATF tests show 3-D guns lethal as metal detection law expires . For more than a decade , researchers at the New Jersey Institute of Technology have been working on a grip-recognizing gun that measures the pressure applied and the size and shape of the hand holding the gun . Triggersmart , which was founded by Irish entrepreneur Robert McNamara , also uses radio frequency technology to enable -- and disable -- guns . The chip that activates the gun can be placed in a ring , bracelet or potentially even embedded in the owner 's hand . So what does this mean for the law ? The state Attorney General 's office declined to comment . Under the law , Hoffman must determine whether the smart guns meet industry standards and are available for retail sale . The law says `` personalized handguns shall be deemed to be available for retail sales purposes if at least one manufacturer has delivered at least one model of a personalized handgun to a registered or licensed wholesale or retail dealer in New Jersey or any other state . '' UK police raise spector of 3-D printer-made guns . The New Jersey State Police then will issue a list of firearms that meet the technological standard . Within three years of the guns hitting the market , they will be the only kinds of firearms sold in New Jersey . In New Jersey , 2013 firearms background checks -- needed to obtain permits required to purchase handguns -- increased by more than 50 % through October , compared with the same period in 2012 , according to the FBI . In the first 10 months of 2013 , 100,922 background checks were conducted , compared to 66,912 during the same period the year before . According to the latest data available from the Centers for Disease Control 's National Center for Health Statistics , there were 456 firearm related deaths in New Jersey in 2010 . In August , New Jersey Gov . Chris Christie vetoed a bill that would ban certain long-range rifles and sent several gun-related bills back to the state legislature for changes , according to his office .
New Jersey law could take effect with new smart gun technology . ` ` Personalized '' guns only fire with information from watch , radio or the right grip . The law , the only one of its kind , has become part of national gun laws .