[PoliceOne Critical Alert]
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Guns that are disguised to look like normal household items are an increasing threat to Law Enforcement in the U.S. and internationally. A gun hidden in a key ring (see image below), ring guns (see image below), pens that shoot bullets, cigarette packets containing miniature pistols and mobile phones concealing lethal fire power are appearing across Europe. This bulletin is a follow up on our Alert from February concerning several cell phone guns seized in France.
German police said that they had seized around 1,200 pens capable of firing .22 caliber bullets from a man in the southern German town of Bamberg on Friday.
The home-made, six-inch-long pens were designed by the man, a heater installer who planned to sell them for 150 Euros ($164) each. The pen weapons were of high quality and could kill or badly wound a person at short range.
See pictures below:
Bullet Firing Pens:
www.police1.com/policeone//data/1/images/dyn/bulletpens.jpg
Gun Hidden in a Ring:
www.police1.com/pix/RingGun.jpg
Key Chain Gun:
www.police1.com/pix/KeyChainGun.jpg
According to National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS), an England-based criminal justice research group, these weapons are a reality and appearing in many different forms. “They are quite easy to get hold of. They come mostly from Central and Eastern Europe - and the movement of these weapons is right across Europe. There are not millions of them being found, but they have been found and it’s an increasing trend.”
All customs officials and police officers should be aware of the existence of these weapons, as they are likely to appear in the US. The weapons may not be very accurate, but they can unleash a lethal round, which could kill an officer.
Source: Member Submission; NCIS, Associated Press Reports
Priority Level (1 = Lowest, 5 = Highest) - National Level 5
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