Accidental firearm fatality involving a hand-crafted pen gun. Case report

We report a case in which a homemade 0.25 caliber "pen gun" resulted in the accidental death of a man examining the weapon unaware of its lethal nature. The design of the weapon consisted of a spring-loaded firing mechanism contained in a housing resembling a writing pen. Thus, the weapon was similar to zip guns and tear gas pen guns but differed in its craftsmanship and primary purpose of firing conventional ammunition. Another notable feature of the case was an atypical entrance wound due to the 0.25 caliber Winchester AXP ammunition that the pen gun fired. With respect to the weapon and ammunition, this case represents an unusual firearm fatality reported to increase awareness and alert pathologists, as well as law enforcement personnel, to the existence of homemade weapons made to look like innocuous objects.