Gun that fits in your pocket and packs a mighty wallop
Courier Mail, Page: 18. Friday, 7 March, 2008
Meet the pistol that fits in your pocket and packs a hell of a punch.
The SwissMiniGun is the size of a key fob but fires tiny 435km/h bullets powerful enough to kill at close range.
Officially the world’s smallest working revolver, the gun is being marketed as a collector’s item and measures just 5.5cm long. It can fire real bullets to a range of 112m.
The stainless steel gun costs $6400, although the manufacturers also produce extravagant, made-to-order versions from 18-carat gold with customised diamond studs which sell for up to 10 times that.
The gun already has been banned from countries such as the US because the barrel is deemed too small to qualify for sporting purposes. It is also illegal in Australia.
Firearms experts say while the gun is tiny, it can still kill and in the eyes of the law was as dangerous as a machine gun.
They say the 2.34mm calibre bullets weigh just 19.8g but are still large enough to cause fatal internal injuries.
The gun is the product of the SwissMiniGun company. Owner Paul Erard said that since the product’s launch three years ago, the firm had sold about 300 of the guns, mainly to collectors in the Middle and Far East In September 2006 the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in New York issued a warning about the gun after being alerted by a FBI officer who spotted it on a website.
Special Agent William McMahon said the gun was so small it made the perfect stealth weapon for serious criminals.
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