ROCKY MOUNT — A small device that could help police prevent gun accidents may be the next big seller in law enforcement circles. A Rocky Mount man says the trigger safety device he invented is the first one officers can use in the field.

The idea is simple. A small, rubber device holds the trigger tight. When an officer needs to shoot, it pops right out.

Rocky Mount resident James Hunter says that is the key difference between his trigger guard and conventional gun locks.

"I like to equate this product, or this safety device, to the seatbelt in your automobile," explains Hunter. "When you get in your car, you put your seatbelt on. When you take your gun out of storage for use in field situations, it would be nice to have this simple little product."

The simple product is creating a buzz among law enforcement because it is the first to fit the type of pistols that most officers use.

The trigger guard has been on the market for just a few weeks, and lawmen are taking notice. Nash County Sheriff Jimmy Grimes has already ordered 100 of them for his deputies. He says the device is inexpensive and easy to use.

"For their home safety we felt like it would be a good thing," Grimes says.

As word gets out, the company marketing the trigger guard sees tremendous potential. Everyone from law enforcement to military leaders wants to know more.

"I've been in sales for 45 years and it's the first time I've ever had a product that every person I showed it to got excited about it," says Jack Bailey of Bailey Marketing.

Hunter invented a similar guard a few years ago for revolvers.

He still sells those, and even put the idea on the back burner for a while because he thought it was so simple, surely someone had already thought of it.

The device is not meant to replace gun locks. It is designed for use when the gun is out in the field and needs to be accessible. When the gun is stored, experts say it should be locked up properly.