An entrepreneur has developed a new concealed carry pistol that looks like a smartphone- and over 2,500 people are lining up to buy one.
According to CNN, the two-shot derringer is chambered in .380 ACP and folds into a smartphone when not in use.
Created by Minnesota-based start up company Ideal Conceal, the pistol is the brainchild of developer Kirk Kjellberg, who designed it after running into problems when trying to carry a concealed handgun in a restaurant.
“This little kid says, ‘Mommy, Mommy, that man’s got a gun,’ so the whole restaurant looks at you like you’re about to shoot the place up,” he said. “So I thought to myself there’s got to be another way to be able to carry without bothering other people.
Though chambered in a diminutive caliber and unable to fire from “phone mode”, the phone has raised concern among some police lobbying groups.
“In general, the concept of any kind of weapon that’s disguised, so that it’s not apparent that it’s a weapon, would be cause for concern,” said Bill Johnson, executive director and general counsel for the National Association of Police Organizations.
Despite the fact that it looks like a phone, the pistol will require a permit in most states to carry concealed and may even require a $5 ATF tax stamp and paperwork, depending on how the agency classifies the weapon.
“Micro-compact” handguns have become all the rage in the gun community, bringing in large revenues for gun companies as a new generation of concealed carriers seek to carry smaller, sleeker weapons that are compatible with modern trends and environments.
“Not everyone wants to look like ‘Tactical Tom’ (when they carry)”, said Jarrod Truog, Range Officer and sales rep for DFW Gun Range and Training Center in Dallas, Texas. “And more women are carrying these days as well.”
The pistol is scheduled to his US markets in mid-2016, with plans for a semiautomatic version in 2018.
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