What will they think of next? A new collapsible mini-handgun called Ideal Conceal is making waves on the internet because it can fold up to mimic the appearance of a modern day smartphone.
The Ideal Conceal is a .380-caliber pistol that is currently in production and that will be available for purchase at some point this year, says the company that makes it. Since it can collapse to look just like a smartphone, it can be slid into a pocket, a purse or even be held in the hand during casual conversation while going entirely unnoticed.
When it is folded up, it's locked and cannot be fired. But push the safety button and it flips open, ready to fire. Two barrels allow for two precise shots at a close range to ward off would-be assailants within 30-feet or less.
The gun is the brainchild of Kirk Kjellberg, who was tired of being harassed for open-carrying in public places.
Measured at just three by five inches, Kjellberg has noted that it's about the size of the popular Galaxy series smartphones by Samsung.
At last glance, the Facebook page for Conceal already had amassed 16,000 likes. But critics are abundant, making it known their concern over the ability to bring the gun to airports or federal or public buildings, where weapons are banned.
"It's kind of an erroneous idea that this is any different from any other pistol, because when you run it through an x-ray, it has barrels and triggers and hammers -- all the things other guns have. It has enough metal in it that it can't escape the metal detector," Kjellberg said.
Kjellberg says he is already in talks with Department of Homeland Security, and he will be providing them with detailed x-rays of the weapon so that law enforcement can properly train employees to identify it.
As far as the issue with kids getting ahold of a weapon that looks like a phone and accidentally shooting it, he says this:
"In America, we have lots of children in contact with pistols already. There's been quite a few incidents long before my product came along, For me, it's not the gun. It's the people. So if you have a pistol and you have children anywhere near you, it's your responsibility to lock that stuff up and keep it away from children."
He makes a valid point. I've got kids. I've got a gun. I have no issues keeping my gun out of the hands of my children, and they've already attended multiple safety courses at my local gun range.
Ideal Conceal is set to be sold in late June with a starting price of $395. According to the company, 4,000 customers have already said they'd buy one.
Make that 4,001. Count me in.
What do you think about a smartphone disguised handgun? Let me know in your comments. I'll do a follow-up article in a few months, after I get my hands on this handgun and spend some time testing it at the range.