In light of the heated debates on the controversial issue of gun control, and with anything that barely resembles a weapon causing unnecessary attention from the police, is it even safe to put out alternative weapons masquerading as a handgun?
SALT, a weapon that looks like a gun but works more like a pepper spray, was pulled off Indiegogo precisely because of this. Adam Kennedy and neighbor Andy Macintosh, owners of Salt Supply Company that develops SALT, do not refer to the gun as a weapon. Instead, they call it a safety device intended to keep safe the two-thirds of American families who prefer an alternative to traditional handguns.
The idea behind SALT lies in the principle that a gun does not have to take a life to protect life. Kennedy and Macintosh say they came up with the idea of a pepper pellet-loaded gun as a way for their wives to stay safe at home while the husbands were away.
"We created SALT because we needed a better way to keep our families safe after a tragic shooting took the life of a young man just steps from our home," the SALT website says.
Unlike traditional handguns, which fire bullets by way of an explosive, SALT uses carbon dioxide cartridges similar to those used in airsoft guns to expel .70-caliber pepper pellets that can temporarily disable an intruder for around half an hour. The pellets contain a mixture of powdered chemicals, including oleoresin capsicum derived from ghost pepper, which is also found in traditional pepper sprays. The founders say their mixture is more potent than the one used in a similar device used by the Department of Homeland Security.
Users do not have to hit the target for SALT to take full effect. Because the pepper pellets explode upon contact, users simply have to fire at anywhere near the target to create a peppery cloud of protection that envelopes and disables the target. As a result, the target experiences lung constriction, temporary blindness and severe itching on the parts of the skin exposed to the chemicals, giving users enough time to run to safety and contact the authorities.
Because it looks like a traditional gun, SALT's appearance alone may be enough to ward off potential aggressors. However, it is also because of this that the device may attract uncalled for violence from others and from the police. This is why, just 24 hours after SALT raised $30,000 on Indiegogo, the crowdfunding site quickly pulled off the campaign.
"In a debate as polarizing as gun safety, we have found that the courage needed to take a stand for a new way can be very hard," the founders say in a statement. "Andy and I were very disappointed to find that Indiegogo removed the SALT project this morning because it straddled the traditional categories of safety device or weapon. Of course, anyone who purchased or donated to SALT through Indiegogo will automatically receive a full refund."
Despite its rocky start, SALT is actually legal to own in all states except California and interested owners don't need to undergo background checks before buying because no legislation yet offers coverage for its non-traditional nature. Ordering from Massachusetts, New York and Hawaii is also banned by shipping restrictions, but carrying a SALT gun in these three states is not prohibited.
For the time being, the Salt Supply Company has moved its crowdfunding project to its own website as it looks for a more popular platform. Early backers can get SALT for $279 before the retail price of $349 goes live.
