FDA Certifies Handgun as "Medical Device"

The single-bullet Palm Pistol set the Internet abuzz with speculation that Medicare might even pay for the elderly and disabled to pack heat.

But Monday the Food and Drug Administration said the Palm Pistol doesn't have a shot of being listed as a medical device, and revoked the registration issued to its inventor only last week.

"The FDA has determined the product is not a medical device," the agency said in a statement.

The inventor is crying foul. "I would assume it's due to political pressure," said Matthew M. Carmel, from Maplewood, N.J. He said he's researching a possible appeal.

Remember the Palm Pistol ergonomic handgun from a few months back? Well, you will be interested to know that it has been designated as a medical gadget by the FDA.

Thanks to the Second Amendment, even the elderly have the right to keep and bear arms. The problem is that many of the guns out there are a bit unwieldy for an older person to handle. However, the inventors of the Palm Pistol are planning to change all that with a weapon that is ideal for both the elderly and the physically disabled. The firearm appears to be a redesign of the classic "Chicago Palm Pistol" first patented in the US in 1883—the difference being that the modern Palm Pistol is a single shot device with a thumb trigger.

Constitution Arms contacted us with the following information:

Several weeks ago you were kind enough to blog about the Palm Pistol. We thought you might be interested to learn that the FDA has completed its “Device/Not a Device” determination and concluded the handgun will be listed as a Class I Medical Device, exempt from 510(k) Pre-Market Notification in accordance with 21 CFR 890.5050 “Daily Activity Assist Device.”