When Edward Bulwer-Lytton coined the adage “the pen is mightier than the sword” back in 1839 for the purpose of a play, it seems a bit unlikely he was thinking there might one day be a pen gun. Over the years guns have been made in all manner of design with an eye for disguise or, at the very least, an eye for distraction. They’ve ranged from knife guns to belt buckle pistols to lighter guns and beyond. It really isn’t a stretch to create a pen gun, plus there’s that whole James Bond aspect. So it should come as no surprise that R.J. Braverman finally created a legal pen gun – yes, legal – one allowed by the ATF due to the simple fact that it actually does look like a firearm when it comes time to pull the trigger.

Pen guns actually started seeing semi-regular production in the first part of the 20th century and although many think of them as the purview of 007, they were used by real-life spies. Those particular versions looked like fountain pens and fired a single shot without any drastic transformation, which also means possessing one without the proper creds (thank you, NFA). Enter the Braverman “Stinger” Pen Gun.

I’d say you’ll never guess who got their hands on a Braverman Stinger Pen Gun, but of course it’s Ian of Forgotten Weapons. Yet another awesome Rock Island Auction find allowing for daily posts – on a temporary basis, granted. This pen gun is not made anymore and finding one for sale is more than a little difficult.

Personally I’ve always wanted to be the writer who whips out a pen gun while quoting the aforementioned “pen/sword/yada yada” adage. Now that’s a comeback.

Take a look at Ian’s video to learn more about these admittedly cool little guns. Come on, you know you want one.