Gun controlled lamp hits the spotlight

One Taiwanese manufacturer took aim at traditional light switches this week and unveiled a lamp that can be turned on and off with the shot of a gun-shaped remote. Bitplay The Bang The Bang! desk lamp from Bitplay is put into darkness with a pistol peripheral which causes the lampshade to tip as if the marksman has popped a …

[Anonymous Coward]

Cringe

I'm a lifetime NRA member, and this makes me cringe for so many reasons:

1) It promotes the bad habit of pointing a gun at something you don't mean to destroy.

2) It promotes sloppy aiming (I seriously doubt this take the kind of real accuracy a proper firearm takes).

3) It could get you in serious trouble if law enforcement kicks in your door (as in shot dead because you were turning on the light).

I'm all for non-gun guns for training - make this really take accuracy, and make it for training, and I'd be OK with it. But as it stands, it just seems like a bad idea to me.

[Anonymous Coward]

DON'T USE IT IN THE UK....

the trigger happy police will bust in, shoot first and then be exonerated in the investigation that follows.

"but he was just dimming the lights Officer"

"Tough luck!"

[Anonymous Coward]

I can see the photos in the Metro now...

Met Police seize stash of guns from local man after raid at "Lights and Shades"!

Just like a few months back when the photo clearly showed:

- 2 rusty flintlocks, that even if they were real would have been antiques and not covered by firearms law.

- 2 WWII naval flare guns; I'm not certain on what if any restrictions are on those, but they are hardly the sort of thing you'd use to hold up banks with.

None of this being picked up by newpapers, BBC, ITV, C4, Sky and other "New" services.

[Anonymous Coward]

"i'm a lifelong NRA member, and this makes me cringe for so many reasons"

It'd make me cringe too but at least with the right to bear arms you can shoot the asshat that thought it was a good idea right?

[Daniel 4]

@AC 19:33

'"i'm a lifelong NRA member, and this makes me cringe for so many reasons"

It'd make me cringe too but at least with the right to bear arms you can shoot the asshat that thought it was a good idea right?'

I'm not an NRA member... I don't even own a gun. However, I have to say, that is just plain stupid. Having the right to bear guns or not has nothing to do with the right to kill people. Otherwise, a knife or heavy blunt object would work just as well.

-d

[Anonymous Coward]

Shooting oneself because at some time you thought it was a good idea to become a cringeworthy member of the NRA is a bad idea?

[laird cummings]

Christ, what a crappy idea.

The suggestion that firearms are 'cute' and appropriate for use in this manner is in such bad, bad taste. Clearly, the inventor is not firearms-familliar.

Aaaand... I predict that the Confiscators will use this as yet another talking point, despite it having absolutely nothing to do with responsible firearms ownership - nor anything in common with firearms owership of *any* stripe.

[Anonymous Coward]

) It promotes the bad habit of pointing a gun at something you don't mean to destroy.

Like animals and other humans?

Personaly, given the choice of someone firing a plastic gun at a lamp shade or a well trained, but slightly deranged gunman with an H&K, I know who'd I rather be near.

[laird cummings]

@ AC Friday 3rd February 2012 22:34

"Like animals and other humans?"

Precisely.

Even if you're a hunter, or even if you're a police officer or soldier, you NEVER cover anything with the muzzle of your weapon unless you're prepared to destroy it. That is BASIC safety, and this crappy idea violates that concept fundamentally.

[Chimp]

Shocking...

Now if it required a mozambique sequence, with a time limit and a range of 10 metres...

[Lamont Cranston]

Toy gun bad,

real gun good?

[Andus McCoatover]

Question: "Emma Chissit"?

WANT!

But, at David, it's just a laugh. Who would realistically lob a chicken at a pig to kill it (Angry Birds)?

Now, I'm going home to 'paint my TV' with a laser so it changes channel.

"pointing a gun at something you don't want to destroy"? Like a beercan?

Get a grip! NRA seems a bit *too* serious.

[Andus McCoatover]

Price update

Did a bit of research, and there are websites in HK and taiwan that *may* ship internationally.

However, the price of 8,500 taiwanese dollars seems to come to about 250 euro. Bit prohibitive for a lamp...

[FunkyEric]

Look it's just a bit of fun!

If those are your arguments against it, then why have we been giving children toy guns since we invented them (guns that is not children).

All my lava lamps are on remote control and I would love to use a remote control shaped like a gun, it's just so much fun!

Mines the one with the gun in the pocket.

[laird cummings]

I *don't* give my children toy guns. I *do* teach proper safety, properly supervised, with the real thing. Firearms are the kind of tool with which you don't EVER want people developing bad habits - and unsupervised play with toys, IMO, teaches *just* those bad habits.

Yeah, I take this #$%^ kinda seriously.

[Tom_]

Bit of a misnomer?

It doesn't even appear to go 'bang' when used.

[Dcope]

Depends on the quality of the bulbs?

[FunkyEric]

You can always....

Add the sound effects yourself!

[Anonymous Coward]

Much as I sympathise with the NRA member upthread...

I'd pull the trigger on this.

[Anonymous Coward]

My sion has an alarm clock that does the same. Has a pop up target on top. The cone of fire is about 35 degrees

[Glenn Amspaugh]

Real men...

will wait until the .50 cal version is available.

Mine's the one that makes me seem happy to see you.

[skeptical i]

Being as this is a plastic Bitplay,

the most powerful remote in the world, and would blow your shade clean off-center, you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya', Lamp?

Can it be modded to include a mute for the teevee/ radio/ whatever for use when the adverts come on?

[Mr Young]

Prepare to suspend your disbelief!

There's aleady a US Patent for that - 5,253,068

[AbortRetryFail]

I love lamp.

[adnim]

I thought

lamps had always been at least gun control ready... well, for turning them off anyways

[Silverburn]

Won't someone think of the children!

I mean...A €250 lamp, controlled by the most toilet friendly remote ever. This will be novel for 2 minutes, before the lure of sending it for a swim proves too much. Let's hope it's waterproof...

[L.B.]

In defence of the NRA Member.

Those of you who don't shoot will never appreciate the time spent training newbies down the range or in the field on how to hold fire arms safely and never, ever point it in the direction of anyone.

It doesn't matter how many times you think it has been checked as been cleared, you never do it! Guns should always be treated as loaded at all times.

The problem is some people are just dim, and bad habits picked up playing with "toys" can be hard to break. Likewise those of us who do shoot will react badly when anything gun shaped is pointed in our direction, it's become an instinct for self preservation.

In the UK; shooting shorts are among the safest activities you can partake in, and it is a very popular activity (despite what our exceedingly liberal media may tell you). Taking part in football, fishing, or ballroom dancing are far more likely to cause serious injury or death.

[defiler]

Saved me a job

I was going to have to write something similar, but you beat me to it. I don't shoot or own a gun, but in the past I have been taught good gun discipline, and it's amazing how hard it is for some people to pick it up.

At the end of the day, the lamp is only a toy, but I don't think that justifies all the downvotes for a guy who uses real guns as a hobby in a country where it's permitted (and appears to be doing so very responsibly).