The kiss of death or lipstick pistol was a pistol used by the KGB during the Cold War. It was a single shot 4.5 mm caliber pistol hidden inside a lipstick holder. from Gizmag retrieved August 22, 2009World's first spy museum opens in America BBC News Online, 18 July 2002. Accessed 2009-08-24. Being an early, close-range type of improvised firearm or zip gun, the kiss of death worked similarly to many other zip guns — with the tube acting as a barrel and the tip of the lipstick being a singular round. Upon twisting the bottom of the tube, a small hammer would strike the priming of the round, acting as a firing pin and causing the gun to fire.Improvised Weapons and other Officer Safety Concerns (pg. 10) . Retrieved August 17, 2025
Historical usage Engineered by KGB operatives amidst the Cold War, The Kiss of Death could be carried by agents across the West German border for the purpose of assassinating or injuring oppositions of the KGB.Lipstick Pistol, ca. 1965 Exhibition at The International Spy Museum. Retrieved 17 August, 2025
The first example found in West Berlin at an American checkpoint in 1965 is now held by the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C.Lipstick pistol from CNN retrieved May 23, 2008 Lipstick Pistol, ca. 1965 Exhibition at The International Spy Museum. Retrieved 17 August, 2025
Kiss of death in media A lipstick gun is used throughout Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004) by EVA, and one is used by Johnny English in Johnny English Reborn (2011). Johnny English Reborn (timestamp: 1:22:49). Retrieved August 17, 2025 It also appears in Moscow X by David McCloskey.
Notes