Cell Phone-Shaped Gun – A Smart Idea or a Disaster Waiting to Happen?
A hand gun that looks cell phone stirred up controversy last week when U.S. Senator Charles Schumer called on the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to investigate the gun before it is released in the market.
The cell phone-shaped gun prototype was designed by Minnesota-based company Ideal Conceal to blend in everyday society. On its Facebook page and website, Ideal Conceal posted a video showing something like a cased phone but can open into a .380 caliber hand gun. The weapon has a listed price of $395 and is promoted for its “high velocity” and “increased accuracy”.
Netizens applaud the guns’ smart and innovative design, but authorities are not pleased. Some have raised their concerns. Schumer in particular believes that a weapon looking like an ordinary item could violate federal law. “The latest ideal for a concealed gun should come with 911 on speed dial, because this iPhone is just a disaster waiting to happen,” the New York Democrat said. He explained that it posed a threat to law enforcement as police officers could find themselves in a situation where won’t know if a suspect is pulling out a phone or a gun.
Ideal Conceal CEO Kirk Kjellberg, on the other hand, is surprised and not happy with the reaction. He pointed out that their cell phone gun is not the first concealed gun released in the market and that others have more firepower than two shots. “The idea that this is going to cause some new big threat is just not true,” Kjellberg argued. He said that the gun prototype is only a defensive weapon.
Meanwhile, the two-shot, .380 caliber-concealed gun is still in production stage and will not be available in the market until fall this year. However, more than 5,000 people have already expressed their interest according to the company. Kjellberg said he knows that not many people will like his idea but he wasn’t expecting venomous reaction towards it either. The idea of creating a gun concealed in the shape of everyday objects came to him after a child at a Chinese restaurant saw his gun and pointed it out.
The fate of Kjellberg cell phone gun now lies in the hands of the ATF. Investigation is still ongoing.
