You see a crime in progress and the vigilante in you awakens.

"Halt!", you shout while pointing your gun in the ciminal's direction. You press the trigger once, a blinding flash erupts, his photo is taken. You depress the trigger a little more and a laser fires inside, igniting the propellant to send the lead missile on its way.

Say hello to the Intelligent Fire Arm, a unique and thoroughly South African device that could change the way we think about guns – and the people who wield them. Although still in prototype form, it will soon enter manufacture. Inventor Nic van Zyl, 65, is an ardent believer in firearms with brains.

Stranger than fiction? You decide. Thanks to Slashdot for the link.