'Safety bullet' invention aims to prevent accidental shootings

News Herald ^ | Story filed: 11:52 Tuesday 30th July 2002 | Editorial Staff

[vannrox]

'Safety bullet' invention aims to prevent accidental shootings

A Florida man claims to have designed a safety bullet which locks up a gun when it's accidentally fired.

Mike Worley says his simple invention takes gun safety to another level.

He came up with the idea after a local boy was shot in his elbow while showing off his dad's .357 Magnum.

The safety bullet can be hidden in the gun chamber and ejected quickly if the owner needs to fire a live bullet.

If the safety bullet is fired, it jams the chamber and locks the gun until the shell is removed with a special tool.

The News Herald reports Mr Worley has applied for a patent for his invention.

He says several companies are interested in his design, and one has started making a prototype.

Mr Worley, from Panama City, says he supports the use of guns and understands why people need a loaded gun as protection.

He said: "I think the safety bullet is a step in the right direction. I don't want fame and fortune. This is a simple device that takes safety to the next level."

Story filed: 11:52 Tuesday 30th July 2002

[HairOfTheDog]

I think it would be cool if the Safety Bullet also had a banner that would stick out of the barrel that says "bang"!

[kildak]

You can forget about that pelvis shot. Although it is a good tool to have in the toolbox, it doesn't prevent a highly motivated attacker from engaging you while on the ground, i.e. if he is using a firearm. Now if your attacker is using a knife....that's another story.

All hits that penetrate the CNS should do the job.

[HairOfTheDog]

By the way, Mike, is the character above one of yours?

[kildak]

All hail the .45! Whatever, dude.

[FSPress]

When using air soft rounds - yes

[jslade]

You do know that's where we put all the nut cases in FL.

[FSPress]

One seems to have been missed

[FSPress]

Thought some were in Arcadia

[DugwayDuke]

I guess that 45 was really locked up to require a gunsmith and a new barrel.

I had a round lodge in my 45 ACP. I disassebled the piece and just tapped the round out using a wooden dowel slightly less than bore diameter and a tack hammer. I was able to use minimal force holding the barrel in one hand and the tack hammer in the other.

[HairOfTheDog]

I had a case blow up in my revolver and a gunsmith had to remove it.

The dangerous part of that was that the case cracking had stolen sufficient pressure that the bullet stayed in the barrel, but it didn't jam the gun... If it hadn't sounded funny, I might have fired another round behind it, which could have been bad...

[DugwayDuke]

I had a friend who went ahead and fired another round after a squib load. Luckily he was firing target loads from a ruger superredhawk. He took the gun home and used a dowel to pound the rounds out. I've looked down that bore and I couldn't see any damage.

[Cloud William]

I faxed them a copy of the renderings and part of the Patent Application that explains how it works. Not a word from them .I also sent a copy of the same info to FBI and every goverment agency that I could find. I sent a copy to the Consumer Protection People and to NTSB. The wrote me back that it is not under their jurisdiction.

"Not a word from them" is NOT a sufficient okey-dokey from BATF. No news is NO NEWS, do not assume otherwise. You can find Small Arms Review online; I suggest you purchase the back issue that I mentioned above. The article may give the name of a BATF agent or opinion matter number, which might point you in the right direction.

Not many people know that those retained-piston suppressed cartridges exist. Even the most hardcore firearm enthusiasts will scratch their heads over something that out of the ordinary.

Do yourself AND the people you have manufacturing the things a big favor and re-submit the design specs by certified mail, return receipt requested. Ask BATF to respond, either thumbs-up or thumbs-down, in writing, and be sure to mention the possible comparison with the suppressed ammunition . Do not even think about packaging any for sale until you've got the BATF's opinion letter in hand.

[HairOfTheDog]

Mine is a medium frame .357. I don't remember what kind of load it was now. I don't know for sure what would have happened if I had fired again, because the bullet was not hard to remove at all. It was not stuck so much as it just hadn't had enough force to push it out. I am glad I didn't fire again, anyway.

It was the case that the gunsmith needed to remove. It was broken in several places and the heat and expansion was enough that it was stuck. I didn't want to risk damaging the gun.

[Shooter 2.5]

"Any more design tweaks that you would like to help him with?

Well, yeah. It would be a cartridge made out of a high impact plastic with a brass head. The firing pin would hit a spring loaded "Primer" so that the firing pin wouldn't be damaged. It also wouldn't lock the gun up if it was hit. I think we could go into partnership and make millions.

Oh, wait. That's a snapcap. Never mind.

[Shooter 2.5]

I don't recall giving you permission to use my idea for a pin driven ratcheting device for a locking cartridge.
Sorry, you're stuck with your primer driven idea.

and I have 80,000 Freepers as witnesses.

[Jeff Head]

I gave my last reply to Mr. Non-Safety Inventor in post number 539 when it became apparent that from my perspective he was not interested in listening to candid responses to his assertions, was not interested in a "better" way, and has his own agenda.

Many many well respected KABA adovocates have tried to share with him the real solution of education and training, while explaining in great detail the danger of his particular invention. He is not interested in hearing it or realistically trying to address or refute it those explainations.

I know of no one, who is serious about their firearms and applying them as they were intended, who wants anyone to think their firearms are "safe". They are not safe, they were not intended to be. Having people think they are safe, or can be safe will just get people injured or killed.

Sort of like thinking Red China is safe. Perhaps not the best analogy ... but it allowed me to make a plug for the book series just the same. LOL! FRegards.

[Jeff Head]

Trav, I've seen more than enough of what this guy has to say. I'm not buying any of his Bravo Sierra.

Catch you around ... let me know when the book is ready to go.

Laz, as always bro, you're a hoot.

[gc4nra]

I knew you would have a great perspective, as usual.As I stated in my previous post, this is purely for profit.

Profit in and of itself is not bad, as long as the product
isn't going to get any one killed.

How's the book doing. Hope to have autographed copies of the whole series someday!

[Travis McGee]

Too many kicks to the head have knocked him to the "transmit only" mode. He seems incapable of receiving new info.

[Jeff Head]

The MSReader version, published by PocketPCPress, was the number one Mystery and Thriller eBook on Amazon for several weeks. On Friday of last week it dropped to number two on that same ranking which is where it is right now.

That version is the only one that has had any real, professional promotion, and that was relatively small. I keep hoping a larger publisher will pick it up ith the idea that the printed books would perform similarly if given the chance. The reader revies indicate it would in my opinion, but I am certainly biased. At any rate, I am committed to finishing all five books and hving a fun time doing it. Am now working on number three.

A local gun dealer who frequents shows all over the Northest just bought 120 books to sell at shows. Most of them are Volume II. He sold a couple of hundred Volume I's already. He has me attending the Boise show with him on the 21st to sign books he sells. Hopefully, we''ll see a lot more of that.

Thanks for asking, and always mind your knot.

FRegrds.