The maker of a double barrel pistol that conceals itself in what looks like an ordinary cell phone appears unfazed by lawmakers who want his gun investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Kirk Kjellberg developed his cell phone-gun, known as Ideal Conceal, in October of 2015 and the transformer-like firearm caught the eye of New York Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer, who immediately called for a federal investigation into the unusual gun early last month, calling it “a disaster waiting to happen.”
“Just like toys that too much look like handguns should not be sold, handguns that look too much like toys should not be sold,” said Schumer, who also criticized a gun designed to look like a cell phone case last year.
Kjellberg came up with the concept after a small child at a restaurant saw his holstered firearm and publicly pointed it out. He stresses that his gun is designed for legal concealed carry permit holders who may need it in a defensive situation, arguing that there are already many small, legally-concealable firearms on the market.
“We welcome any inquiry because we’re legal. We’ve talked to the ATF. It’s a legal pistol and it’s not for people like Chuck. It’s for people who want to defend themselves,” Kjelleberg told The Daily Caller this weekend. “And it will do so in such a way that doesn’t cause alarm to people around them and gives them an easy way to defend themselves.”
The gun folds up to look like a cell phone with a heavy case, but a handle can be folded back down, showing the trigger. However, it cannot fire while folded up, so the ATF classifies it as a regular pistol as opposed to a hidden weapon under Title II firearms. In this latter instance, it would be subject to specific regulation under the National Firearms Act.
Kjellberg’s Minnestoa based company confirmed his cell-phone gun will begin to go into production in October and will sell for $395.00
“I think the market was in need of something you could carry without people realizing that you were because it causes a lot of conversation—some of it quite negative these days, when you work with people who are quite liberal. They don’t like people having guns around them. So this way you can have a gun and hide it in plain site,” he said.