Jailer Key Guns Look Cool But Were a Lousy Idea

We assumed 2-in-1 products only existed as modern luxuries, like shampoo and conditioner in one bottle, or clock radios. We never dreamed that 17th century inventors combined devices as well. The people of that time lacked both printers and fax machines—what kind of conjoined contraptions could they possibly have come up with? Jailer key guns, although seeming like something dreamed up by steampunk fans, actually existed. Filled with gun powder, they could be fired in case prisoners tried to make a break for it when the cell door opened. The folly of creating one awkward device that every prisoner wants to steal must have become apparent at some point since nobody’s using taser gun/keycards today.