I'm with Rymdkejsaren in that if it isn't smartlink wireless enabled, or otherwise has its 'guts' on some kind of wireless capability, I just don't see that level of control of one from the outside. Seems like too much of a risk. If your gun can get hacked pretty much no matter what, why not *always* get the smartlink?
Like I said, I kind of see it as common sense. If just possessing a gun means you're likely to get it bricked, there's no reason NOT to go old-school and get ones with the old fashioned hammer mechanics, or just go full-bore and get the smartlink (and a hefty agent program to protect it) with very little differentiation in between, and runners arguing the merits of each in the downtime.
Now, because it's basically said that guns are off-the-shelf tagged to display on the matrix as guns (and the corresponding license to carry it in the user's PAN- Would you like to know more? *click*) that doesn't mean a decker can't mess with them somehow, like other discussions with the wrapper program and such.
In my mind IF there was a way to brick it quickly, it would be that the gun would *require* that license and ID in the user's PAN in order to operate- which would double as a safety feature of the gun as well since nobody other than the 'owner' of the gun should be able to fire it... like an automatic safety feature. A Decker would then, theoretically, be able to quickly alter the protocol enough to have the gun not recognize its authorized user (probably nobody else either- that would require more time and hacking)
However, that's not stated in the books, and besides what runner would keep that kind of liability/identity attached to their guns? At that point, as I said, everyone would equip smartlinks and go wired all the time to bypass it or go full primitive.
I think the threat of hacking guns is more a risk from using wireless smartlink capabilities. Most of the examples I've seen for it *seem* to work on that assumption as well.
I just find it hard to presume that *all* firearms are somehow subject to hacking, is all.
If you want to houserule this, I assume you're also houseruling Gremlins to no longer apply to firearms?
Not necessary. I wouldn't. Gremlins states all technological devices, not just wireless ones, so there's no distinction. Plus the reasons for that quality can come from a number of things- from just somehow being unlucky with tech, to being cursed by someone in their backstory, to spirit problems or mental issues (my combat mage, Hodge, was a squatter/wanderer/hobo in Chicago that really was uncomfortable being around anything technological... they had 'the hum' to them. Wired buildings had 'the hum' in the walls, and fates forbid he had to get on an elevator- he always took the stairs, no matter how high, also had a tendency to lose/break his cheap comlinks- "Hobo With a Shotgun" and "Gremlins" rank 2
)
Crunch~