It was about a nice summer night in 2002 when a friend and I were at a field party taking some shotguns (when you poke a hole in the side a beer can and chug awhile opening the top), when we got to discussing how messy and dangerous the process is.

How to take a shotgun.

You see the actual hole making ordeal involves a sharp object ,usually metal, most often a key that can produces jagged metal edges in the can. The puncturing will often cause a mild explosion of beer which can get messy.

So I, being an industrial design major and him a business major decided to take it upon ourselves to solve the problem. A tool was needed that could be easily pocketed and carried. I made some sketches and a prototype, but nothing really came of it.

I can’t say I was surprised to find out that six years later such a product was developed and is out on the market. The Shotgunator is bottle opener, can opener, and most importantly a shotgun hole maker. It seems like a pretty simple design and is actually more practical than the prototype I developed, so I can’t be too upset.

It comes in two forms: A utilitarian version that you can bust out at any social event and the classy version for playing beer golf with your buddies.

I still feel there is potential in this sector, because it took me this long to hear of this and it seems they are really pushing for the large quantity orders that usually end up as corporate give aways. I can’t imagine too many companies that are open minded enough to promote binge drinking to it’s employees and potential customers, but I guess only time will tell.