Police1.com Report / Critical Alert
Law Enforcement officers should be aware of a new gun disguised as a common pen which is on the market legally.
Full Details
Stinger Pengun
Stinger Pengun with 18-inch Sniper Barrel
Stinger Knifegun
Stinger Knifegun “ready to fire”
Stinger Pengun is a single-shot pistol disguised as a pen. It is 5.6 inches long, weighs only five ounces when empty, and retails for $250. It is currently available in .17 and .22 caliber, and the company’s web site (http://www.stingerpengun.com) promises that more calibers are “Coming Soon!”
An earlier advertisement on the Stinger web site states that the gun “Transforms from a ‘Pen’ to a legal pistol in two seconds.”
Promised soon-to-be marketed accessories include an 18-inch “sniper barrel” and attachable “heart dagger.” Stinger also manufactures the “Survivor Knifegun,” a handgun concealed in a pocket knife with blade. The $375 “knifegun” -- promoted as “The Pistol With A Sharp Edge” -- is 3.7 inches long, 1.09 inches wide, and weighs 12 ounces. (See pictures both below.)
The U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations issued a “Officer Safety Bulletin” in October 2002 warning of the safety threat from this type of weapon. The national alert was apparently distributed to government, military, and local law enforcement agencies. More recently, in August, the Department of Homeland Security warned that terrorists might attempt to use ordinary items to conceal explosives or weapons -- which is the exact purpose of the pen gun.
Under federal guidelines, the ATF must allow the sale of the Stinger Pengun and Knifegun with the same restrictions that apply to standard handguns because in order to be fired, the “grip,” or handle, of the gun must be angled to its barrel.
To purchase an “Any Other Weapon,” the buyer must go through an extended and extremely detailed background check, register the weapon, and receive approval from local law enforcement. ATF distinguishes the Stinger Pengun and Knifegun from other such weapons and treats them as standard handguns simply because in order to be fired, the “grip,” or handle, of the gun must be angled to its barrel.
“Gadget-type firearms and ‘pen’ guns which fire fixed ammunition” are classified as an “Any Other Weapon” under the National Firearms Act of 1934 and come under the NFA’s strict licensing and registration regimen.
To purchase an “Any Other Weapon,” the buyer must go through an extended and extremely detailed background check, register the weapon, and receive approval from local law enforcement.
The guns are by Stinger Manufacturing Corp. of Sault Sainte Marie, Mich.
Source: ATF; Violence Policy Center