This Homemade CO2 'Gun' Shoots Protective Masks At People

Amid the hostile emotions and combative deniers surrounding face masks comes an amusing video from a DIYer on YouTube who specializes in creating real objects out of fun fictional ideas. This latest example is a CO2-powered 'gun' that shoots face masks onto the faces of random people, using a combination of sticky tape and weights on strings to keep it fixed in place.

If you're located in the US, you know how it goes: most people are just existing, minding their own business, putting face masks on, when out of nowhere comes someone who refuses to wear a covering and insists on entry into a store that requires it regardless. The resulting fuss is usually more obnoxious than comical, but what if it were possible to literally launch a mask directly onto their face?

Such an idea was brought into reality — sort of — by YouTuber Allen Pan, who described the entire creation process in a new video. The 'gun' involves a CO2 cartridge, the kind you'd use with an airsoft pistol, as well as a custom-made design that could support up to 800psi.

In addition to the metal components, the project involves a paint grip modified to function as a pistol grip for the overall contraption.

There's an obvious problem when it comes to shooting masks onto faces, which is that you can't wrap the loops behind their ears or tie the strands behind their heads. That's where the bola wraps come in. The ordinary surgical mask is modified to feature four weights on long strips, which — assuming they don't knock the recipient unconscious or crack their teeth — are designed to tangle the strings behind the neck, keeping the mask in place.

Now, as shown in the video above, that doesn't quite work so well on its own, so Pan also decided to add some adhesive foam to the mask for extra grip. The result? He successfully launches a face mask directly over the face of a dummy, something you can see for yourself starting at the 3:56 timestamp.