Serving The Public Safety Community Since 1907

Soldier Develops Handgun Safety Innovation
by Pvt Jody T. Fahrig

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, March 21, 2000) -- The story of Kayla Rolland, the 6-year-old who was shot by a classmate near Flint, Mich., has saturated the media since it happened two weeks ago.

Staff Sgt. Michael Trapps has invented a device that he believes might prevent such tragedies.

Trapps, the logistics property book manager for the U.S. Army Signal Activity at Fort McNair, D.C., is the developer of a new firearm safety product, named the "Life Jacket."

Indications are that the firearm used in the Rolland shooting had been kept loaded under a bed -- an easy location for a child to access -- with no safety device to keep anyone from getting hurt.

Trapp's "Life Jacket" device fits around the grip and trigger portion of a handgun. The locking mechanism simultaneously keeps the two hinged halves of the device together while also locking the trigger of the weapon in the forward position, making it impossible for the weapon to be fired.

The case is made of durable plastic and is virtually indestructible. The inside is lined with foam to keep the firearm protected while in the case. Another feature is the pry-proof hinge, which keeps the curious out and the firearm safely inside.

Trapps said he first thought of the "life jacket" when tragedy struck close to him.

"About five years ago, my brother Donald's best friend's daughter got a hold of a handgun he kept in the house and accidentally shot herself," Trapps said.

Although she was wounded in the neck, she survived the ordeal, Trapps said.

"I knew there was something that I could do to help prevent this kind of thing in the future," he said.

It was at that point that Trapps, his brother Donald and friend Ed Harvey began drawing the design. Now, almost five years later, the final product is being produced at a Dayton, Ohio, factory.

Although the device fits only handguns, a rifle/shotgun model is expected sometime in April.

Several police departments and security agencies, including the Trotwood Police Department in Ohio, have tested the device. During testing, a truck was actually driven over the device to prove its virtually indestructible quality.

The "Life Jacket" is currently being sold in stores such as Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Jerry's Sporting Goods, Elliott Brothers and BDE Quartermasters. Trapps is now waiting for approval to sell his product in Marine Corps exchanges.

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