Rant #1,645: Not What It Appears To Be

It is not easy writing a five-day-a week column.

I am certainly not spurred on by the money I make from this, which is nothing, since I am not affiliated with anyone or anything here, so that is not a motivation.

My main motivation here is to write about things that I am interested in, something different from what I do that puts bread on my table, and I think I have accomplished that over the past six years.

Oftentimes my viewing public doesn't agree, and shuns my articles like they are trying to avoid the Zika virus, but somehow, people do come here and read.

As with any regular column, people become enthralled with what the writer is writing about on each particular day, and that is no different here.

But what to write about on a nearly daily basis?

The secret of a successful blog is that you have to keep making it new and different each day, and I think I have accomplished that.

So again, what do I write about, let's say today?

Sometimes I scan the news of the day, looking for something that piques my fancy and that I can write about here.

Well, I found that "something" today.

Evidently, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) has found his latest cause to alert the public about.

Schumer is New York's senior senator, and it seems that every weekend, he finds a cause, rails against it, and all the local media outlets cover what he has to say, because quite frankly, the news is slower on the weekend, and there is often little else to talk about or cover.

Sometimes I agree with his weekend crusades, other times I don't.

This time around, I found it quite interesting what he was talking about.

Evidently, someone is out there looking to patent their phone gun, yes, a gun, a working and active firearm, that looks like your average, everyday cellphone.

It is easy to conceal, easy to carry on your person, but when you open it up, it is a gun.

There have been things designed like this before--one that I can think of is a cane that shoots bullets or has a knife stuck in its bottom--but this might be the first instance where modern technology is being melded with such ingenuity to create something that really is potentially frightening.

Since it looks like a cell phone on the outside, it can easily pass through any detectors used at gates, such as at airports and arenas, because it will be detected as a cell phone, not as a gun.

Thus, people can be concealing this weapon, and in the wrong hands, it could cause havoc.

That is what Schumer is railing against, the possibility that such a weapon could be used for harm, and yes, he is right about that.

He is looking for it to be banned, and in terms of protection and security, he is correct, it should be banned.

We don't need things that are one thing masquerading as others, and you just know that a product like this will wind up in the wrong hands, even if the designer's objective to such a creation is a valid one, for personal protection.

Things just don't work out that way when we are talking about items such as this, and with security still a paramount concern, this type of thing would just add fuel to that fire.

This has nothing to do with our right to bear arms; it has to do with matters of civility and protection, and this product would not provide either, and would make things harder for the general public to feel safe.

Again, this is not a major news item, but it is kind of interesting in its own way. The news media has picked up on this, and so have I.

Years from now, we might look back on this and say, "What was all the fuss about?" But today, when security is our top concern, I do think it is something to be concerned about, making it easier for people who are looking to harm and maim people to do just that.

What is next--eyeglasses that shoot mini missiles?

I don't know, but in the past, multi-purpose items, real or imaginary, were interesting. Think of the shoe phone on "Get Smart."

But today, they are potentially dangerous, and does anybody really need a gun that looks like a cell phone?