Unlike the venerable Ibis 9, the Ibis 7 was created to be more modern, smaller and more suitable as a standard issue military sidearm. Using the latest PEP technology, it allowed for non-lethal use in situations where deadly force wasn't required.
Imperial Arms found success, albeit limited success, with their Ibis 9 model of handgun. The feedback they received fell largely into the two categories:
and
Armed with feedback, IA kept the basic body of the Ibis 9, scaled it down a bit, and shifted the entire weapon over to a PEP system. These changes resulted in a smaller, sleeker, and lighter weapon. Switching over to a PEP system also opened up the market to Naval forces, as plasma rounds are typically too great a risk to be fired onboard a ship. A PEP round, though, well, those get used all the time.
With these changes in place, IA was fully prepared to bring the 7 to the general market, at least until they were approached by the Terran Republic's Navy who were looking for a new standard sidearm. The Ibis 7 was their preferred choice, and after some negotiations, it became an exclusive sidearm sold only to the Republic, where it remained the standard issue sidearm from about 90 years and counting.