Police are receiving an urgent warning: be on the lookout for an old-style gun that's apparently making a comeback on the streets.
The concern? It may be impossible to tell if someone is carrying the gun.
Experts say this gun is so small it can be hidden in a belt buckle, necklace or even a flashlight.
And what's even scarier – the gun can apparently be made at home.
Some may remember it as a "zip gun" from the 1940s and 50s – a homemade pistol disguised in everyday items.
"They've hidden them in canes or hidden them in necklaces, backs of belt buckles," says Joe Cowles, of Target World. "I've even seen them fired out of books."
Some criminals are apparently making them at home since they can't purchase guns legally at places like Target World.
"It's a very, very crude gun and often times they're only made to be fired once," says Cowles. "And often times, you fire once and they kind of self-destruct. So, it's only good for one shot."
The Cincinnati police department says it's aware of the guns that could even be made to look like a cell phone.
The intelligence section has alerted their officers to be on the lookout for the makeshift weapons.
"We got the information out to our officers as part of our training or officer safety bulletins," says Lieutenant Mark Briede, with the Cincinnati police department. "Our officers need to know about criminals and how they're trying to circumvent or get around the law and hide different things."
The guns can be purchased legally.
Target World says you can order a zip gun. They cost between $200 and $1,000.
But you have to go through a six-month extensive screening process when you place an order for the class-three weapon, including getting the sheriff's office to sign-off on your request, a federal fingerprint background check – and you must pay a $200 tax.
"The ATF is going to take that paperwork, make sure everything is on the up and up," says Lt. Briede. "They're going to forward it to the FBI who will do a federal level background check on you, that goes back to the day you were born."
It is extremely difficult to purchase one of these guns.
The Cincinnati police department says so far they haven't come across any, but they know they could be out there.
