MIAMI -- The
Guinness Book of World Records calls the SwissMiniGun the smallest working
revolver in the world.
It's smaller than the palm of an adult's hand and the makers say it's
weaker than a BB gun. But the MiniGun is causing a lot of concern for the Bureau
of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Transportation Security Administration.
"I think anything that shoots a projectile is dangerous," said Rick
Thomas, a TSA agent at Miami International Airport.
Thomas said as weapons get smaller, airport screeners' jobs get tougher.
"We have seen the bulletins on it. We are aware of it. We are searching
for it," he said.
At MIA, screeners have come across weapons both small and disguised --
from a watch that's really a lighter, to a walking cane that turns into a sword.
So far, MIA airport screeners haven't seen MiniGuns, but at Tampa's
airport, several types of handguns have turned up in carry-on luggage.
"It happens once a month. Once every three weeks or so," said Dario
Compain, federal security director for Tampa International Airport.
TSA agents in Tampa use small handguns to train screeners how to look for
MiniGuns.
"We place the same amount of emphasis to a small handgun as a large
handgun. Regardless of the end state of the damage that it can cause, we treat
them all as a threat item," Compain said.
What scares federal law enforcement agents the most is that the MiniGun
looks like a toy. It even has a key chain feature.
"It's highly concealable in that it could go unnoticed at initial frisk,"
said John Hegman of the ATF.
Hegman said the SwissMiniGun is illegal in the United States, but can be
imported from Mexico and Canada. His agency has issued an advisory to field
agents to be on the lookout for the MiniGun.
"When struck in the proper or improper spot in a human, it could be
fatal," Hegman said of the gun.
At the Hialeah Range and Gun Shop, NBC 6's Tom Llamas fired a few rounds
with the North American mini revolver -- one of the smallest legal guns in the
United States.
Gun shop owner Lajos Torok said the mini-revolver is legal because its
bullets can be traced. But a SwissMiniGun's bullets -- 2.3 mm caliber -- would
be impossible to identify after being shot.
"It's too small, so the projectile is not identifiable by ballistics,"
Torok said.
He also said the size of the MiniGun would make it difficult to be a
backup weapon, especially in a struggle.
"The gun is too small to handle safely," he said.
NBC 6 contacted the manufacturer of the SwissMiniGun, but he did not want
to comment on the record. He is selling the gun for 6,500 Swiss francs, which is
around $5,300.
