Hasta La Ideas

How does a priest baptize a baby while adhering to social distancing? Industrial designer Joshua Skirtich observed the new trend of using squirt guns loaded with holy water.

It’s obviously disturbing to see an adult pointing any type of firearm-like device at a baby. Skirtich came up with something far better. Here’s his project:

3:16 Magnum (Product Name)

In the Catholic Church, infants are baptized to welcome them into the Catholic faith and to free them from the original sin they were born with. This is usually performed by a priest who douses the child’s forehead with holy water (water that has been blessed by a member of the clergy.

Recently, Catholic priests began using squirt guns loaded with holy water to baptize from afar. Photos of these Covid-19 Baptisms showcase uniformed men holding vibrant, plastic, toys for what is normally a serious, sacred ceremony. I initially thought to redesign the gun as a joke, but later realized it as a serious opportunity to design a premium squirt gun – something that has never really had a reason to exist.

The gun’s silhouette is a cross, the most important symbol of Christianity. The red cross floating in acrylic doubles as crosshairs (to aim with) and another nod to Christianity. 

Three holes in the barrel signify ” the father, the son, and the holy spirit,” a doctrine used to explain the complex structure of God being three entities at once. During a baptism, the priest will say “I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

Well done, Skirtich!