Even in areas where carrying a gun is both legal and socially acceptable, there’s always going to be people who aren’t comfortable with the idea. Kirk Kjellberg experienced this first-hand when he was at a restaurant and a kid noticed the gun that he was legally carrying and pointed it out. The atmosphere quickly became awkward and uncomfortable, but that experience is what inspired Kjellberg to found Ideal Conceal, a Minnesota startup that develops a concealable handgun that’s designed to look like a smartphone.
A concealed carry gun is coming out this year that can be folded into a box resembling a smartphone … a feature that makes cops nervous. Ideal Conceal, a Minnesota startup, is developing a two-shot pistol that folds into a palm-sized square. It can be slipped into a back pocket or displayed openly in a coffee shop with no one the wiser. “Ingeniously designed to resemble a smartphone, yet with one click of the safety it opens and is ready to fire,” says the company website. “Smartphones are everywhere, so your new pistol will easily blend in with today’s environment. In its locked position it will be virtually undetectable because it hides in plain sight.” The company said the gun will cost $395 when it becomes available mid-2016. Developer Kirk Kjellberg said he’s already received 2,500 emails from people who want to buy one. Kjellberg has a concealed carry permit and said he got the idea when he was walking through a restaurant and a young boy saw his pistol. “This little kid says, ‘Mommy, Mommy, that man’s got a gun,’ so the whole restaurant looks at you like you’re about to shoot the place up,” he explained to CNNMoney. “So I thought to myself there’s got to be another way to be able to carry without bothering other people.”
