Awesome self-defense tool or accident waiting to happen? :: 03/27/2016

A gun maker is causing a stir online with an ultra-concealable handgun designed to look like a common smartphone.

Ideal Conceal, a company based in Monticello, MN., is awaiting patent approval on a double-barreled derringer chambered in .380 ACP which is virtually indistinguishable from the smartphones nearly every American is used to seeing in public.

The hammerless firearm uses a striker-fire design and eschews iron sights in favor of an onboard laser to increase its concealability. It’s also equipped with a built-in clip, eliminating the need for a holster.

A clever hinged design allows users to simply unfold the gun in order to reveal its trigger and provide a grip for shooting.

“Ingeniously designed to resemble a smartphone, yet with one click of the safety it opens and is ready to fire,” says the company website. “Smartphones are everywhere, so your new pistol will easily blend in with today’s environment. In its locked position it will be virtually undetectable because it hides in plain sight.”

The gun will retail for $395.

In an interview with CNN Money, inventor Kirk Kjellberg explained that he created the weapon to make it easier for concealed carriers to protect themselves in public without drawing unwanted attention.

“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.”

News of the new firearm has split observers firmly into two camps: Some see it as the ultimate concealable self-defense weapon that can be taken virtually anywhere. And others contend that it poses an unprecedented threat to law enforcement officers.

“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,” Bill Johnson, executive director and general counsel for the National Association of Police Organizations, said.

Of course, highly-concealable firearms are nothing new—so it’s kind of a lame argument that this one poses any kind of new threat to law enforcement.

What is slightly worrying about the new firearm’s clever design, however, is that police anxiety about a new gun that looks like a smartphone could lead to poor training policies that put smartphone users—read, just about all of us— at risk of being shot by a jittery cop for brandishing a cell phone.

Already, we’ve heard tell of police departments throughout the nation working to discourage citizen cellphone recording of police encounters with claims that officers have a hard time distinguishing phones from dangerous weapons. When firearm hits the market following its scheduled release date in December 2016, you can be officers will double down on those claims.

https://personalliberty.com/awesome-self-defense-tool-or-accident-waiting-to-happen/