Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Already wary of the amount of gun violence in Philadelphia and across the state, U.S. Sen. Robert P. Casey Jr. (D., Pa.) and Police Commissioner Richard Ross are among those urging the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to ban a handgun designed to look like a smartphone.
Dubbed the "Ideal Conceal," the weapon, as described on its website, is a double-barrel .380-caliber handgun that "will easily blend in with today's environment" and is "virtually undetectable because it hides in plain sight."
The black, square device - not yet for sale - looks like an iPhone with a large case on the outside, but spring-loaded pieces can be moved to reveal the barrel holes and trigger.
"With one click of the safety it opens and is ready to fire," the website says.
Casey, in a conference call with reporters Thursday, called the weapon "outrageous" and said he was asking federal officials to review whether it was legal.
Ross said that if produced, the gun could complicate the split-second decisions already required by officers in dangerous situations.
"To manufacture a product that absolutely is designed to look like that is fraught with so many dangers, I can't even begin to describe," he said.
Casey is not the first government official to blast the gun, which is manufactured by a Minnesota-based company and apparently will be available for purchase later this year. It is intended to sell for $395, according to the company's website.
Sen. Charles H. Schumer (D., N.Y.) also asked ATF to investigate, saying there was no reason for a weapon so blatantly resembling a common household item.
"What's next, a gun made to look like a chocolate bar?" Schumer asked, according to the New York Daily News.
Casey wrote to ATF asking the agency to determine the gun's compliance with federal law, including the National Firearms Act, which restricts the ability to purchase guns resembling pens, cigarette lighters, canes, and umbrellas.
"There is no meaningful difference between any of these disguised devices and the Ideal Conceal weapon," he wrote.
Kim Stolfer of Washington County, Pa., chairman of the Pennsylvania-based Firearms Owners Against Crime, said Casey's efforts were misguided because people who own smartphone-shape guns would have to follow the same rules as any other law-abiding gun owner.
"I see this as nothing more than another mechanical device that is being vilified for the way it looks," he said.
The real focus, he added, should be on punishing those who use illegal firearms.
Ideal Conceal CEO Kirk Kjellberg said in a video posted on the company's Facebook page that the weapon would be a helpful tool for people who want to protect themselves.
"I highly doubt you'll see it used in any criminal capacity," he said, although he did not explain why the gun had to look like a phone.
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20160422_Casey__Ross__Kill_smartphone_gun.html