Surgical instruments and/or fastener apparatuses comprising an end effector with a pair of jaws pivoted at a proximal end thereof and movable between an open and closed position. At least one of the jaws may comprise a channel for receiving a cartridge containing a plurality of surgical fasteners. Also, an electrically powered actuator may be for deploying the surgical fasteners and may comprise a power source and a motor. An activation mechanism may be attached to the handle to move the pair of jaws from the open to the closed position and to activate the actuator. A lockout mechanism may be configured to permit current to flow from the power source to the motor when the pair of jaws is in the closed position and to prevent current from flowing to the power source to the motor when the pair of jaws is in the open position.
