JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville neighbor is concerned about an online purchase. It looks like a battery pack, but it turns into a pistol. While this product has been on the market for several years, Jeffrey Starke says he’s worried about how he got the item.
He says he was surprised when he received a firearm in the mail straight to his door without any paperwork. As a gunowner, he knows this is not right.
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“I’m more worried about it being out there in the hands of kids,” Starke said. “If they can buy it at $39 dollars and it shows up in a padded envelope by the USPS, something is wrong.
”With 24 years of military experience, Starke was trained to identify homemade firearms. And he says this would have been a red flag.
”You pull the trigger and it’s a weapon,” Starke said.
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Scrolling through Facebook, he came across an ad for a ‘Lifecard’ that turns into a .22 caliber handgun. So, he bought it. But the company never did a background check.
”I was surprised, I really was I didn’t expect to see it,” Starke said. “I figured I would be put in some type of request for scam, but it showed up.”
Starke says it came from a Chinese supplier. It appears to be a knock off version of a the Lifecard product that Trailblazer Firearms has been making for years now. But that company requires proper documentation, unlike the one Starke bought it from.
”When I found out how easy it was, that upset me,” Starke said.
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The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives regulates firearms in the country. Tampa division spokesperson Jason Medina says when a gun is purchased online, it must go through the Federal Firearms Licensee before someone gets possession of it.
”Every firearm purchased through a gun store does undergo a background check and form 4473,” Medina said. “And in Florida, it’s a minimum of a three day wait period to purchase that gun.”But this firearm went straight to Starke’s door without ever going through FFL. So, he called the police.
He says the police was alarmed. Officers are trained on weapons like this, but the lack of documentation is concerning. Plus, the item has no serial number and it’s falsely advertised to be .22 caliber when the barrel appears to hold a 9 mm.
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TSA spokesperson Sari Koshetz says they are aware of these concealed weapons too.
“TSA agents are very well trained to look for items such as that,” Koshetz said. “Or a threat item that is camouflaged as an everyday item.”
The Trailblazer Firearms website states it’s aware of these knock off products, so be weary.
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