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← Ballistics and the Gun

Folding Pocket Pistol, Unfolded

Close-up photo of a matte black double barrel folding pistol unfolded into firing configuration on weathered wooden planks, with maker markings visible

What This Image Shows

A close-up photograph of the same class of device shown open. Unfolded into firing configuration with the grip extended, it is plainly a firearm — a double-barrel folding pistol on weathered wooden planks. The engraved markings are legible: IDEAL CONCEAL, INC., MONTICELLO, MN, IC380 CAL. 380 ACP, USA PATENT D819157, with a serial number below.

The pair of photographs is the argument. Folded, the object is unremarkable; opened, it is a .380 pistol. Researchers collecting this material are making the case that a weapon capable of being carried through a crowd without attracting attention exists commercially and is not exotic.

What it does not do is establish that any such device was present, and nothing on the public record places one at the event. A .380 round is also a very different proposition ballistically from the .30-06 in the official account, which is precisely why it appears in the alternative-weapon discussion. See Alternative Calibers and Weapons, Close Range Theories, and Alternative Kill Mechanisms.

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