After receiving threats to his person, his business, and even his dog, Andy Raymond is dropping plans to be a seller of the nation’s first smart gun.

Raymond’s Rockville, MD gun shop, Engage Armament, weathered a storm of vitriol from gun rights activists after he initially vowed to sell the Armatix iP1, the so-called “smart gun.” The German-made gun will not fire unless it is in proximity of a special watch, thus making it useless if stolen. Gun rights activists worry that the technology will be used to restrict the kinds of guns they can buy in the future.

The backlash against Engage Armament resembles opposition recently directed at a Los Angeles-based store that similarly dropped plans to sell the smart gun amid threats of violence.

“They told my business partner they would burn down the shop,” said Raymond in a video he posted on his Facebook page, now accessible via The Washington Post. “I try to be reasonable with people but I guess I made a mistake.”

Smart gun opponents are motivated by a 2002 New Jersey law, which mandates that all handguns in the state be personalized within three years of a smart gun going on sale anywhere in the United States. They worry that the Armatix iP1 could trigger this law if offered for sale, The Washington Post reports.

According to the newspaper, gun-control advocates were disappointed and frustrated that protests caused another potential smart gun seller to back off. Advocates think the technology has the potential to reduce gun violence, suicides and accidental shootings.

“That’s a great thing for gun rights,” said a sarcastic Raymond in his video. “When you threaten to shoot somebody.”

Image credit: Armatix