A never enforced state law requiring pistols sold in New Jersey to have technology allowing only the gun's owners to fire them could be overhauled

A 2002 law required handguns sold in the state to feature the so-called smart gun technology. But the state attorney general determined no weapons met the statute's definition and so has not implemented the law.

NJ.com first reported the news Wednesday that Democratic Assemblyman Louis Greenwald is in talks with other lawmakers to change the law. The new legislation could encourage rather than require retailers to sell smart guns.

The New Jersey law resulted in gun rights activists in some states threatening retailers who planned to sell smart guns. The activists worried the New Jersey law would gain a foothold in other states.