YouTuber builds innovative device that shoots surgical masks onto people's faces

Getting an anti-masker to wear a mask is as easy as fixing global warming in a day. Or is it? YouTuber Allen Pan believes there's a rather simple solution to the cultural epidemic that is the anti-maskers of America: speak their own language. Since most anti-maskers seem to have a particularly soft spot in their hearts for the second amendment, Pan figured that the best and perhaps only way to get them to see masks in a new light would be if face coverings were somehow related to guns. But how would one do that? Simple! Create a mask gun!

"This is kind of a uniquely American problem," said Pan, who runs the Sufficiently Advanced YouTube channel, of the country's anti-mask phenomenon. "So what are we going to do about it? What am I going to do about it?" He pointed out that since informative videos from the likes of Bill Nye the Science Guy and studies proving that masks are, in fact, effective in preventing the spread of COVID-19, didn't seem much of an effect on these uncovered mouth/nose enthusiasts, it would be much more effective to go in a different direction. "There are so many smart people who have made so many videos about how masks are safe and effective," he said.

"If that works, it would've worked by now," the 30-year-old added. "An American problem demands an American solution." Thus, the inventor set about building a... erm "launcher" that shoots surgical masks onto people's faces. Documenting the rather interesting process in a video, Pan showed how a CO2 canister, part of a car's brake line, and the pistol grip of a spraypaint can could come together to form a one-of-a-kind surgical mask shooter. He built the contraption by hooking up a C02 canister to a solenoid and part of a car's brake line and using the pistol grip from a can of spray paint as his trigger.

Small weighted magnets on strings tied to the corner of the mask provided the heft needed to wrap the face-covering around a victim's face. Although this DIY project sounds like one of those things which are great only in theory, the YouTuber surprised himself when his first attempt landed a mask right over the nose and mouth of a mannequin head. Unfortunately, Pan's subsequent tries weren't as successful even when using a green laser scope.

However, that did little to deter Pan in his efforts as after one misfire resulted in the mannequin's neck being "strangled," he declared "We're ready for human trials!" Using himself as a guinea pig, he managed to shoot a mask towards his face and successfully cover his nose and mouth without causing any bodily harm. It was then time to take the mask gun out into the wild and according to Daily Mail, Pan's location of choice was the Huntington Beach, a conservative slice of Southern California that's held numerous pro-Trump rallies.

"I fully expect people to get angry at me," he says in the video. "I even brought my running shoes in case things got, y'know, racist." Contrary to expectations, Pan found beachgoers volunteering to try out his "alien, sci-fi alt-history steampunk" weapon and although the mask gun isn't quite ready for mass production yet, it does seem to have a lot of promise. If anyone can perfect this innovation, it's definitely Pan — a University of Southern California graduate with a B.S. in electrical engineering.