In what is perhaps one the most thoughtless and socially irresponsible inventions ever conceived, a Minnesota company going by the name of Ideal Conceal has issued a .380-caliber handgun that looks almost exactly like a smartphone.
Kirk Kjellberg, creator of the gun, wanted to devise a solution for carrying his gun in a less conspicuous way. That’s when the idea for the Ideal Conceal gun was hatched. The pseudo-smartphone-turned-gun is about the size of a Samsung Galaxy S7 phone with a protective case.
In an interview with NBC News, Kjellberg explained, “A boy spotted me in [a] restaurant and said loudly, ‘Mommy, Mommy, that guy’s got a gun!’ And then pretty much the whole restaurant stared at me.”
So because Kiellberg doesn’t want to have that kind of attention, he decides to invent a gun with the potential to cause some serious damage with permanent consequences? Opponents of the gun worry about the safety of the gun and rightfully so.
Executive director of the National Association of Police Organizations, Bill Johnson, told CNN Money the invention could make police officers’ jobs tricky. Critics also argue its design could pose a security threat at airports and other places.
“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,” Johnson said.
Kjellberg, however, doesn’t appear to have any concern for the possible problems that could result from selling a gun that looks like a cell phone.
“In America, we have lots of children in contact with pistols already,” he explained to NBC News. “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.”
Not everybody is against it. Despite the fact it won’t be available until later this year, more than 4,000 people have expressed interest in purchasing the gun. In addition, a Facebook page for Ideal Conceal already has more than 13,000 likes.
NBC News reports the Department of Homeland Security has contacted Kjellberg about the pistol, who plans to provide officials with X-rays of the gun so airport screeners can tell the difference between the product and a cellphone.
The gun is currently priced at $395, with sales reportedly expected to begin in October.
