American startup Ideal Conceal will begin selling a .380 caliber gun this year that looks like a smartphone. (Image: idealconceal.com)
An American startup company has developed a pants pocket-sized gun that appears no different than a smartphone.
Ideal Conceal‘s hammerless, double-barreled .380 caliber gun transforms from its faux smartphone state to a fireable pistol with one click of the safety.
The company’s CEO and inventor of the gun, Kirk Kjellberg told Product Design & Development that the idea for the gun stemmed from an interaction he had in public.
“[A] young kid glimpsed [at] my gun in a crowded resturant and loudly [said], ‘Mommy that man has a gun,'” Kjellberg recalled. “Since these days that can mean more than it used to, the whole place stopped for a second to look at who has the gun… [I] figured there has to be a better way.”
“Butt dial” has become a popular colloquialism, but “butt fire” won’t take off because the way Ideal Conceal’s gun is built. As Kjellberg explained, the trigger is covered and firing mechanisms are disengaged when the handle is folded up inside the gun’s polymer casing.
When asked if he had any concerns with developing a gun that looks like something else, espcecially near the presence of children, and what his response would be to a person who is opposed to the idea, Kjellberg provided a very candid response.
“I think that the same person should be asked if they leave liquor, cleaning chemicals, car keys, bug or mouse posion laying about,” he said. “If you can’t keep your gun away from children, you should not have a gun or perhaps children.”
Product Design & Development reached out to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for comment on, among other things, concerns the bureau might potentially have regarding the safety of such of weapon, specifically the issues it could present to law enforcement or the public. Bureau spokesperson Corey Ray said it would be hard to classify the weapon without examining it in person. He added that the ATF cannot yet examine the firearm since it isn’t yet in production.
The pistol will be made available for purchase in mid-2016 and sold for $395.
A gun disguised as an everyday item isn’t new to the ATF. In fact, Ray said the bureau has seen firearms disguised as pens, knives, walking canes, and cell phones.
A detailed guide of firearms and what the ATF classifies them as can be viewed here.
Filed Under: Rapid prototyping
