FORT WAYNE, Ind. (NEWS NATION) – Less lethal weapons are becoming more popular than ever. A company is using Fort Wayne as its manufacturing base to lead the charge. “It looks like a gun. It operates like a gun. It feels like a gun. It simply doesn’t kill people like a gun,” said Bryan Ganz, CEO of Byrna.
For Ganz, an entrepreneur and business from Boston, self-defense doesn’t have to mean lethal force. That was the idea behind the Byrna Launcher, a non-lethal self-defense tool. Byrna’s manufacturing plant sits in America’s heartland. The launcher is made every day, by hand in Fort Wayne. The facility is located near Home Depot off of West Washington Center and Lima Roads.
The launcher was designed from scratch for Byrna’s operations, according to Ganz. He explains it was important to him and he’s committed to making sure the launcher is made by people.
The Byrna Pistol is designed after Ganz’s Glock and starts at $379. For a few hundred more dollars, the less-lethal rifles offer higher power and long range.
“So, I don’t know if you’ve ever used a paintball gun or any other…This is a paintball gun on steroids,” said Ganz.
Instead of paintballs, projectiles replace real bullets. Some are hard, and they hurt. Others are designed to incapacitate in a single shot with pepper spray and tear gas, burning your throat and making it hard to breathe for up to 40 minutes. This gives you time to get away.
“There’s been a fraying of the social fabric in America. There’s been a rise in crime. People want some way to protect themselves,” said Ganz.
The company started in 2019. In the last year, its sales jumped 100%, according to Ganz. Right now, the Mission 4 rifle is sold out. Other launchers have a two-week wait.
Critics of Byrna’s non-lethal launchers are quick to point out one big potential flaw. That would be if you pull out the non-lethal launcher someone else pulls out a real gun, and you’re in trouble. Ganz disagrees with that criticism.
“The interesting thing is in most cases people will pull out the Byrna and they won’t need to fire. Just pulling it out and pointing it at somebody is enough to make the assailant back off and turn around.”
Law enforcement feedback has been terrific, according to Ganz. Byrna wasn’t created for police, but the company now partners with law enforcement agencies across the globe. In the United States, the company has deals with more than 300 agencies, from police departments to security companies, even the Army and Navy.
For Ganz, It’s always been about offering another option. But it’s also personal.
“My wife died many years ago. I was a single dad of three daughters. Nothing focuses your attention on safety, on being a single dad of three daughters…We are resonating with gun owners like myself who want a non-lethal alternative because not every situation should involve, you know, life or death for us. But it also resonates with people [who] are not gun owners, but want some way to protect themselves in this crazy world we live in.
The Byrna Launcher requires no background checks and is legal in 50 states, according to the company’s website.
Poster Comment:
Byrna started out in South Africa. I've bought about a dozen for friends.
I had to use a firearm to kill a man at close range who attacked me in 2008. It was a mess, to say the least.
I everyday carry a Byrna launcher and have their big (1 pound) pepper spray canisters in my cars.