Gun guard

A gun lock-out safety device comprises a generally clamshell enclosure and a cylinder key lock. The clamshell enclosure includes two half-shells formed from durable, impact-resistant material, and are sized and shaped to closely fit the contours of the gun to be secured. The half-shells are hingedly connected to form the clamshell enclosure and have marginally interlocking edges to further resist prying and tampering. When properly used, the gun lock-out safety device covers a major portion of the gun including a trigger, trigger guard, breech and/or hammer, and guards against accidental discharge or unauthorized use of the gun.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. 
No. 60/013,392, filed Mar. 14, 1996. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to gun lock-out safety devices for use with 
firearms, and more particularly, it relates to a gun guard having a 
generally clamshell structure that encloses a major portion of a firearm, 
including a trigger and trigger guard. 
2. Background of the Invention 
Problems of gun safety are well known and there has long been a need to 
prevent accidental discharges or unauthorized uses of firearms. Accidents 
particularly involving children and guns are too common. Guns by their 
nature are attractive to children. To remedy these problems, many various 
locking devices and mechanisms have been developed to prevent unauthorized 
or accidental operation of firearms. 
One solution to the problem of gun safety is a trigger lock. One 
disadvantage of most trigger locks is that they leave a major portion of 
the gun, if not all of the gun, exposed and unprotected. Also, trigger 
lock devices can be defeated. Further, conventional trigger locks permit 
the gun to be tampered with, even loaded or unloaded. 
Another approach involves a device which fits into the magazine of firearms 
which employ box-type magazines. However, this type of device also leaves 
a major portion of the firearm exposed, allowing the firearm to be loaded 
and fired in a single-shot fashion. 
Other approaches to gun safety have involved devices that are integral with 
the gun itself. These devices often involve blocking some portion of the 
firing mechanism, such as a bolt, hammer, or safety, against movement. 
However, these devices require incorporation into the gun at the time of 
manufacture, or require installation by a gunsmith. These devices may 
increase the cost of the firearm, may interfere with the proper operation 
of the firearm, or may malfunction and fail. 
The prior art presents locking mechanisms that may be jammed or interfered 
with and thus, are unreliable. Others are complex or difficult to install 
or use, either when the firearm is manufactured or as a retrofit to 
existing firearms. Others do not enclose major portions of the firearm, 
and do not prevent tampering with or disassembly of the firearm. 
Therefore, there is a need for a gun lock-out safety device that is 
simple, effective, easy to use, encloses a major portion of the gun, and 
prevents accidental discharge or use of the gun by unauthorized users. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
These disadvantages, and others, are met by means of the present invention 
embodied in a clamshell enclosure. The present invention totally encloses 
a major portion of the working mechanism of a handgun, including the 
trigger and, in the case of a pistol, including the loading mechanism, the 
hammer, and the breech. Thus enclosed, there is little left in the 
appearance of the gun to attract a youngster to try to play with the gun 
and the enclosing clamshell cover is highly resistant to attempts to 
defeat it. 
The gun guard is a clamshell cover comprising a first half-shell and a 
second half-shell, hingedly connected to form a clamshell enclosure. The 
gun guard may have one or more hinges disposed along the edges of the 
half-shells adjacent to the gun barrel or receiver, opposite the trigger. 
Preferably, the hinges have permanent pins. 
The clamshell enclosure is formed with mutually interlocking marginal edges 
which are held in closed relation by a lock mechanism and resists entry or 
prying apart. The lock mechanism may be positioned in front of the trigger 
or even the trigger guard, or in appropriate instances, behind the trigger 
for positive protection. 
The clamshell enclosure can be made with any suitable durable high-impact 
material and may be provided with a surface coloration or design as 
desired. While the clamshell cover conforms generally to the shape of the 
gun, one enclosing cover could be made to protect and secure more than one 
gun model. However, the encasing protector should fit closely around the 
handgrip, in the case of a handgun, to prevent access to the trigger. The 
clamshell enclosure may be fitted with rubber pads along its interior 
surfaces to protect the gun and assure positive contact between the 
enclosure and the gun. 
When placed about a gun, the gun guard completely encloses and protects a 
major portion of the gun's mechanism. Also, the gun is protected from 
dirt, and the mechanism is protected in case the gun is dropped. 
The gun guard could be sold with the gun, when new, or it could be provided 
as an after-market safety accessory. 
The invention therefore may be characterized as a safety gun shield for 
enclosing the operable portions of a handgun or the like, while protecting 
the operable portions and preventing unauthorized access, in which a pair 
of mutually engageable left-hand and right-hand body parts, of 
substantially identical configuration to each other (i.e. one is a mirror 
image of the other), and each forms a partial recess. One or more hinges 
permanently connect each of the parts together along a common margin or 
line which is oriented substantially parallel to the gun barrel when the 
gun is installed. The individual clamshell parts are movable between a 
closed position in which an interior space is proportioned to receive a 
handgun therein, and an open position, as shown by the phantom view of one 
of the parts in FIGS. 3 and 5. When the gun is inserted, all of the gun 
breech, the trigger, the trigger guard, and a portion of the barrel and a 
portion of the handle are received within the safety gun shield of this 
invention. 
The parts, in the closed position, define a forward facing opening which is 
proportioned to permit the gun barrel to extend therethrough and a bottom 
facing opening which is proportioned to permit a portion of the gun handle 
to extend therethrough, and when moved to the closed position, only a 
small part of the gun barrel and the gun handle extends through their 
respective openings. 
The clamshell construction has mutual interfitting and overlapping edge 
portions for resisting ingress of a tool therebetween. The hinges, along 
the common margin, have wings that are substantially embedded within the 
material particularly where the guard is made of a molded plastic 
material, which is preferred. 
Therefore, it is one object of the invention to provide a gun guard that is 
simple to use and reliably prevents tampering with or accidental discharge 
of a gun. This and other objects, features, and advantages of the present 
invention will be described in further detail in connection with preferred 
embodiments of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
FIGS. 1-5 illustrate a preferred embodiment of a gun guard or shield for 
enclosing a major portion of a handgun, including a trigger, trigger 
guard, and hammer. The outline of such a handgun 11 is represented by the 
broken lines in FIG. 1 with a gun barrel 11A and a handgrip 11B. 
As can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the gun guard 10 is generally a clamshell 
enclosure 12, comprising a first body part or half-shell 14 and a second 
body part or half-shell 16. The half-shells 14, 16 are shaped to form a 
recess and closely fit the contours of a firearm to be protected. The 
parts 14, 16 may be formed, cast, machined, stamped, or molded out of any 
durable, impact-resistant material such as polycarbonate, fiberglass, 
polypropylene, polyethylene, or steel. The foregoing list is not 
exhaustive and is not intended to limit the possible materials that may be 
used. 
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 5, the half-shells 14, 16 are hingedly 
connected along mating edges to each other to form the clamshell enclosure 
12 by one or more hinges 18. As shown in FIG. 5, the wings 19 of the 
hinges 18 are embedded within the half-shells 14, 16 or may be attached 
thereto by any suitably permanent means, and preferably have permanent 
enclosed hinge pins 20, so as to resist tampering. The hinges 18 are 
preferably located along edges of half-shells 14, 16 such that when 
clamshell enclosure 12 is encasing the firearm, the hinges 18 are disposed 
adjacent to the barrel or receiver of the firearm, opposite the trigger 
with the pins 20 parallel to the gun barrel 11A. However, hinges 18 may be 
disposed along any edge which permits the gun guard 10 to be enclosed 
about the firearm. When the clamshell enclosure 12 is closed, the edges of 
half-shells 14, 16 adjacent hinges 18 abut each other in close 
relationship to prevent the insertion of prying devices between the 
half-shells 14, 16. 
In FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, it can be seen that first half-shell 14 is formed 
with a flanged overlap or lip 22 along portions of its peripheral edge so 
as to overlap conforming portions of the peripheral edge of second 
half-shell 16 in marginal interlocking relationship when the gun guard 10 
is in a closed position. Alternatively, lip 22 could be formed on second 
half-shell 16, or both half-shells 14, 16 could have lips 22 disposed in 
cooperative relationship. The marginally interlocked edges provide greater 
resistance to tampering and ensure positive enclosure of the firearm 11 to 
be protected (partially shown in phantom form in FIG. 1). 
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, secured to second half-shell 16 is a 
cylindrical key lock 30. Second half-shell 16 includes a hole 24 of 
sufficient diameter to receive cylindrical key lock 30. Key lock 30 is 
positioned in half-shell 16 such that the key lock face 32 lies 
substantially flush with the surface of second half-shell 16 and the key 
lock 30 long axis is oriented substantially perpendicularly to the surface 
of second half-shell 16. Key lock 30 is positioned in half-shell 16 near 
an edge opposite hinges 18 such that when the gun guard 10 is in closed 
position about a firearm, the key lock 30 extends into a region 40 defined 
by the firearm trigger 42 (shown in phantom relief in FIG. 1) and a 
trigger guard (not shown) and may extend inside or outside of the trigger 
guard. Attached to the end of key lock 30 projecting into the region 40 is 
a flange 34. Flange 34 lies substantially in a plane perpendicular to the 
long axis of key lock 30 and extends laterally therefrom. 
Secured to first half-shell 14 is a lock catch 36. Lock catch 36 is 
positioned in first body part or half-shell 14 along an edge opposite 
hinges 18 and projects substantially perpendicularly from an interior 
surface of first half-shell 14 into the region 40. Lock catch 36 is 
preferably made of hardened steel and has a notch 38, in the end 
projecting into region 40, designed to receive flange 34 when the 
clamshell enclosure 12 is in a closed position and the key lock 30 is in a 
locked position. Although the key lock 30 and key latch 36 are shown as 
being positioned in front of trigger 42 (FIG. 1), they may alternatively 
be located so as to be positioned behind trigger 42, in an appropriate 
case, to positively prevent trigger 42 from being actuated rearward or may 
be positioned forward of the trigger guard (not shown). Although key lock 
30 and lock catch 36 are secured to half-shells 16 and 14, respectively, 
in the preferred embodiment, they could alternatively be secured to 
half-shells 14 and 16, respectively. 
Referring to FIG. 2, a plurality of cushioning pads 50 may be attached to 
the interior surfaces of half-shells 14, 16. The cushioning pads 50 
protect the surface of the gun to be secured and ensure positive 
engagement of the gun guard 10 with the gun. The number and placement of 
cushioning pads 50 are determined by the contours of the particular gun to 
be secured and the degree of protection and positive engagement sought to 
be achieved. The cushioning pads 50 preferably are made of foam rubber, 
but any suitable cushioning material may be used. 
One method for fabricating the gun guard 10 includes the steps of 
positioning the hinges 18 and lock catch 36 in the proper positions within 
a set of molds. Suitable impact-resistant material, such as polycarbonate, 
is then flowed into the molds so as to form two half-shells 14, 16 
approximately 2.0 mm in thickness, with the hinges 18 and lock catch 36 
embedded within the material forming the half-shells 14, 16. When the 
material is suitably cured, a hole 24 of sufficient diameter to receive 
cylinder key lock 30 is formed in half-shell 16. Key lock 30 is inserted 
into the hole and secured to the half-shell 16. Rubber cushioning pads 50 
may then be secured to the interior surfaces of the half-shells so as to 
protect a firearm and provide for positive engagement of the gun guard 10 
with the firearm to be protected. 
In operation, the gun guard 10 is positioned about a firearm 11 to be 
protected. The half-shells 14, 16 are rotated toward each other about 
hinges 18 to a closed position, thereby engaging lip portions 22 of 
half-shell 14 with corresponding edge portions of half-shell 16. A key 
(not shown) is inserted into key lock 30 and rotated to engage flange 34 
with notch 38 of lock catch 36. The gun guard 10 is now secured about the 
firearm, thereby preventing unauthorized use of and tampering with the 
firearm. 
The gun guard 10 is an encasement in which the firearm rests to prevent 
unauthorized use. Each gun guard 10 includes a uniquely keyed key lock 30 
to prevent the gun guard 10 from being operated by any key except the key 
matched to the key lock 30. Rubber cushioning pads 50 on the inside of the 
gun guard 10 prevent the firearm from being damaged in any way. 
The gun guard 10 can be made for any type of firearm. While the embodiments 
described show gun guards made for automatic and revolver handguns, gun 
guards may also be made to secure the breeches and firing mechanisms of 
rifles, shotguns, and machine guns, and are not intended to be limited to 
the firearms described herein. The gun guard 10 can be made to fit the 
intended firearm like a glove so as to prevent any opening for 
unauthorized use. Moreover, there is no need to force the gun guard 10 
into position about the firearm to be secured. The overlapping edges of 
the gun guard 10 further resist efforts to tamper with or use the firearm. 
The gun guard 10 is approximately 2.0 mm thick and its size will depend on 
the weapon it is customized to fit. The thickness of the gun guard 10 may 
be varied as necessary to accommodate the type of material from which it 
is made, or to achieve a desired degree of strength and resistance to 
tampering. The gun guard 10 is relatively light in weight and can be 
conveniently carried wherever the firearm owner goes. When properly used, 
the gun guard 10 protects unauthorized users, especially children, from 
their own curiosity by eliminating their ability to fire the weapon and by 
making the gun far less attractive to play with. 
As previously stated, the gun guard of this invention has particular 
utility for handguns, and a relatively small number of sizes of the guard 
can be advantageously adapted for encasing a plurality of somewhat 
different sized models of handguns. The free space can be easily filled by 
the selective use of an elastomer padding or cushion 50 so that the guard, 
when the clamshell body parts are closed, grips the side of the gun and 
resists movement between the shell or guard and the gun. Since the barrel 
of the gun extends through an forwardly facing opening 55 formed at the 
front of the guard while the handle extends through a downwardly facing 
opening 16 formed in the bottom of the guard, each opening being defined 
respectively by the mating together of the two halves of the body. Since 
the gun barrel and handle extend through these respective openings the 
common variations in the length of the handle and/or barrel does not 
adversely affect the considerations of the design of the guard itself, and 
therefore variations in the length of the barrel and/or the length of the 
handle may be readily accommodated by the use of a single guard design. 
Various changes or modifications in the invention described may occur to 
those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit or scope 
of the invention. The above description of a preferred embodiment of the 
invention is intended to be illustrative and not limiting, and it is not 
intended that the invention be restricted thereto.