Lorie and Larry Johnson live in Sandia Park in the East Mountains, a neighborhood that doesn’t have a high crime rate but does have some potential safety threats. The Johnsons said there are a lot of coyotes in their neighborhood, and people don’t feel safe walking their dogs. Their neighbors are constantly seeing strangers walking or driving vehicles through their property, they said, and sometimes business owners don’t feel safe because of heavy semitruck traffic in the area.
“We’ve got a lot of people that are moving in that shouldn’t be moving in,” Lorie said.
The Johnsons said they love the peace and quiet of their mountainside community, but eventually, they have to make their way into Albuquerque or Santa Fe to shop or run errands. On trips to the bigger cities, Larry said he carries a weapon with him, but it’s not exactly the type of protection one might expect.
“The weapon is not considered a firearm, so you don’t need a license or a permit or anything to carry it. You can actually carry it concealed,” Larry said.
The weapon is a Byrna Launcher, aka an “Un-Gun.” Byrna Launchers are built by hand in Fort Wayne, Indiana. They require no permit or license, and are legal in all 50 states.
Larry said the Byrna Launcher shoots solid projectiles at about 230 miles per hour. These projectiles can be solid or filled with tear gas, and they are designed to incapacitate people or animals who pose a threat without killing them. He said the Un-Gun is safer than other self-defense options like guns, Tasers and other weapons typically used by citizens, security officers and law enforcement.
“That thing hits you in the chest. You’re gonna know it. It’ll take you to your knees,” Larry said. “There’s a chemical irritant that is basically pepper spray, but in a powder form. They breathe that in and they’re down for about 30 minutes.”
The Johnsons are the owners of Live Safe New Mexico, located in the Hoffmantown Shopping Center in northeast Albuquerque. They are the only licensed Byrna Premier dealers in the state. Byrna is a Las Vegas, Nevada-based company who produce and sell compact and concealable self-defense weapons, chemical projectile ammunition, defense sprays and body armor to the general public. They said their mission is “to provide the citizens of New Mexico with a safe, reliable and effective nonlethal alternative to traditional firearms that will allow our customers to protect and defend themselves and their families without the need to resort to deadly force.”
Larry said when he approached Byrna to become a licensed dealer, Byrna wanted justification for opening a store in the area.
“I said, ‘Google Albuquerque and crime rate,’” Larry said. “Two days later, they called me back and said, ‘You can have your store.’”
According to Lorie, business has been booming. She said since opening Nov. 30, they have already made their third order for more inventory, and they have been selling Un-Guns to “all demographics, all over.”
She said she has sold Un-Guns to parents buying them for their daughters as stocking stuffers. She sold an Un-Gun to an 80-year-old woman who had no problem shooting the weapon, which has very little recoil. The Johnsons said the Un-Gun is popular among people whose jobs are becoming increasingly dangerous in recent years, such as real estate agents and even pastors. Anyone over 18 can buy the Un-Guns. Lorie said she just sold one to an unhoused person who lives close to the shopping center.
“He says he feels unsafe out there,” Lorie said. “He says, ‘I’m not on drugs, I’m not on alcohol. I’m trying to get off the street.’ He has a dog that sleeps with him. He sleeps right over here in the grassy area. When he left, he says, ‘I feel safe now.’”
Marty Molloy and his wife Ileen live in a gated community in Albuquerque, and they were testing the Un-Gun at the range when The Independent visited the Byrna shop. They said they were there to buy a pistol for Ileen to carry with her when she leaves the house.
“Most pistols or revolvers are made for right-handed people, and my wife needs something to fire for left-handed [people],” Marty said. “If you’re an animal lover, you don’t want to kill animals, and I think that’s a really beneficial aspect. If you’re out walking your dog and another animal comes up — whether it’s a coyote or bear or whatever — and it becomes aggressive, you don’t have to kill the animal, and yet you’re still protecting your pet.”
“When you get tased, you fall uncontrollably,” Larry said. “It could be on your head. It has happened — it kills a person, the family sues the police department. I’m a retired paramedic. I’ve seen a lot of it. There’s a lot of people that don’t want to take a life. You have to live with that.”
The Johnsons said that the less lethal Un-Gun can prevent another type of tragedy: killing an unintended target. They said that the weapon is ideal for security guards who work in crowded places and whose jobs require them to be armed. They have heard stories about homeowners lethally shooting someone they believed to be an intruder, only to find out it was their child sneaking in the bedroom window after a night out, they said.
“Get hit with that [“Un-gun”] and they’ll be pissed off for 30 minutes,” Larry said. “They won’t be dead.”
Although they do not currently have a contract to supply agencies in New Mexico with the Un-Gun, Larry said there are over 300 law enforcement agencies that have Byrna firearms at their disposal. He said they plan to donate an Un-Gun to a smaller New Mexico police department somewhere outside of Albuquerque like in Edgewood, Corrales or Santa Fe County.
“They’ve traded this in lieu of the Taser for the reason I was just telling you about,” he said. “We’re hoping to do something here locally with a police department showing interest. I’ve had a few officers in and a couple from CSI — the crime scene investigators. They love them, so it’s all about getting the upper people involved.”
