Law Commons^™

"Gunba Control" The Constitutionality Of Semi-Automatic Robotic Weapons, Steve P. Szymanski

Catholic University Journal of Law and Technology

This piece examines how the Second Amendment, and its recent jurisprudential standards would apply to foreseeable semi-autonomous weapons in the private sector. Following an analysis of the landmark Supreme Court decision in District of Columbia v. Heller and its progeny, the work forecasts how the rules would apply to a home defense drone designed to defend at the exterior of a domicile, an armed “digi-dog” designed for self-defense in public, and an armed robot (“Gunba”) designed to operate entirely within one’s domicile. Ultimately, it concludes that an semi-autonomous robot, designed for in-home use, could conceivably receive Second Amendment protection.