The CellGunphone is a pistol disguised as a crappy old cellphone. Press the keys, 5, 6, 7, 8 in succession, and it will pepper your assailant pretty good with four .22 caliber rounds. Link, includes video of the device in action.
(Thanks, O'Clock)
Reader comment: Kyle Wayman sez,
Maybe I'm crazy, but I think this may be a hoax. The only sites I find (albeit with just a quick google) referencing this all just link to the cellular.co.za site you linked to. Watching the video, I don't understand how all four rounds are supposed to shoot out of the antenna without the top half of the phone sliding over to line each one up – it's not as if it's a revolver. Granted, I'm not a gunsmith, but maybe another reader is? Can someone verify how this would work, or debunk it?
Reader comment: Ben sez,
I remember seeing this elsewhere a few years ago… I want to say I saw it on Bruce Schneier's blog but I'm not certain. Regarding the shooting out the antenna thing, I'm fairly sure the article is just poorly written. If you watch the video closely you can see slight muzzle blasts along the top end of the phone, which appear to be moving towards the camera. From the images of the gun and the description of how it fires (pressing the different keys oriented behind where the bullets are), I'm almost certain that it's feasible that it's real and the article just slipped up.
Reader comment: Guav sez,
It's not a hoax, and the bullets do not all fire from the antenna. There are four separate barrels, one for each bullet (these also correspond to the trigger buttons). If you watch the video carefully, you can see that the bullets exit from the four different chambers.
Reader comment: Brian Shumate sez,
The recent posting on BB about the Cell Phone Guns certainly reflects reality, and was a big "be afraid" blurb back in the immediate post-9/11 days. In fact, the truth behind these weapons is backed up by Snopes as well. As to the firing mechanism: All four rounds are not discharged through the 'antenna' as the previous commenter seems to have suggested. There are four *separate* barrels, muzzles, firing pins, and triggers involved in this really rather crude, and primitive firearm, and the bullets simply penetrate the thin plastic top of the phone when exiting the muzzle of each barrel. This weapon is designed for very close proximity firing, and is not accurate at any distance beyond a couple meters.
Reader comment: JonesR sez,
I haven't looked at the video, but I wouldn't naturally assume that the antenna is the barrel. I'm no gun nut, but stealthy 22's can barely have a barrel at all, they are usually meant for close range self defense. In either case, one could be loading a small magazine such as 9mms have in their grip, via those holes. The weird bit is, if you are needing to stealthily shoot someone in self defense, how likely is it that the attacker is going to allow you to go for even your cell phone?
Reader comment: Nial McGaughey sez,
the device looks like a simple "pepperbox" type derringer. 4 chambers 4 firing pins, 4 barrells. anyone looking at the top of the phone could tell something is amiss, there will be 4 big holes in the top of the phone, and the antenna will be hollow. not to mention the thing looks like ronco made it for sale to the after 3AM TV watching set.
Reader comment: Henry sez,
If you watch the video closely, the puffs of smoke from 2nd through 4th shots don't come from the area of the antenna. Rather, they seem to originate from further down the phone body, in line with the other bullets, indicating there are four barrels along the top. Having handeled quite a few guns of various makes and models in my life, I see nothing to indicate this would not work.
