In the 2012 film Skyfall, Q presents James Bond with a special handgun for his latest mission — a Walther PPK 9mm short — fitted with a sensor encoded to Bond's palm print so only he can fire it. It's ...

Sasha Wiesen sleeps with a .40-caliber handgun in a safe by his bed. The commercial real-estate broker from Florida recently preordered a new type of firearm he hopes will make the safe unnecessary.

Handgun design is shifting faster than at any point since polymer frames went mainstream, and the changes are not just cosmetic. From modular internals to biometric locks and optics-ready slides, ...