"Mythbusters" -- the Discovery Channel's truth-testing show -- will take on a Moore County-marketed gun that claims to shoot around corners.

The newest episode,"Myth Evolution," premieres at 9 o'clock tonight on Discovery. Described as an evolution revolution, the test team will take five fan favorites and focus on a new facet for each.

"Kari, Tory and Grant test another piece of ballistics brilliance from the movie 'Wanted' -- the CornerShot -- a gun that can apparently shoot around corners," producers said over the weekend in a press release. "Does it exist? Fans want to know."

It does exist, and it comes from Robbins, heir to a local tradition dating back to the end of the 18th century when Robbins was known as Mechanics Hill, and the Kennedys were turning out long rifles by the score.

Today, this town may be contributing more to fight terrorism here and abroad than any other place its size in the United States. American Growler's plant on Green Street currently ships three of these fighting vehicles a month to Afghanistan. There and in other battle zones around the world, V-22 Ospreys carrying them and their Marine crews can leapfrog directly from ship deck to battlefield -- no more beach assaults and shore landings for those Marines.

One of the town's three new commissioners -- due to be sworn in at December's board meeting -- represents the technological advance Mythbusters tests tonight. Joey Boswell markets CornerShot, the gun that really does shoot around corners.

"CornerShot is a highly technological system that protects security forces and law enforcement by enabling them to observe and engage a target from behind a corner without exposing any body parts," Boswell said. "It has been tested and is currently being used by Special Forces, military units and law enforcement agencies around the world."

This won't be the first television appearance for Boswell's gun. It has already been seen on another Discovery Channel show, "Future Weapons," and featured in Forbes Magazine in a 2005 article that focused on advanced military technology.

The gun uses a video camera to aim at targets as its business end swivels safely around while the operator remains shielded. In combat, the idea is to protect soldiers' lives and increase their chances of survival by making it possible for them to pinpoint and engage targets out of their line of sight, according to Amos Golan, one of CornerShot's founders and a former Israeli anti-terror unit commander.

"Today's combat situations, especially in low-intensity conflicts, involve fighting in urban terrain, and inside inhabited buildings, forced entry into airplanes, buses or trains," Golan said. "This unnecessarily exposes security forces to the enemy and presents an immediate risk to their lives. CornerShot removes the need for this initial exposure."

The company was founded by two Israeli former senior officers of the elite units of the Israel Defense Forces and U.S. investors. It is headquartered in Miami, Fla., with offices in Israel and now Robbins.

Boswell and his wife, Martha, are U.S. representatives for the all of the company's line of weapon systems and accessories. The CornerShot system is only sold to official law enforcement and authorized government agencies. Both Joey and Martha Boswell are certified trainers.

Recently, the commissioner-elect has taken on a new challenge: organizing a U.S. Military Community Covenant Ceremony in northern Moore County.

"I have taken on the challenge, presented to me by George Hayfield and the N.C. League of Municipalities to show our U.S. military neighbors at Fort Bragg that Robbins will support them in any way," Boswell said Monday. "The Community Covenant is a formal affirmation of support by state and local communities to active service members (Guard, Reserve and all Branches) and their families."

Among covenant-support activities are such programs as adopt-a-soldier, The Army's Army, Phone Cards, Hire a Hero and many others, Boswell says.

"Robbins' citizens and leaders are very creative people, and I think we could do something great for our U.S. soldiers," Boswell said. "They need our support more than ever. I would like to target this event in early spring 2010. There is a large amount of work to be done, and I can not do this alone. I need (the community's) help."

Contact John Chappell at (910) 783-5841 or by e-mail at jchappell@thepilot.com.