A real gun that mimics the look of a toy gun. That was the vision of a gun customization company in Provo, Utah. But the backlash to a weapon encased in colorful Lego bricks has been strong, even among some gun enthusiasts.
The company, Culper Precision, described the creation as a fun addition to their product line.
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“We have been building guns out of blocks for the last 30 years and wanted to flip the script to aggravate Mom,” the company said on their website.
“There is a satisfaction that can ONLY be found in the shooting sports and this is just one small way to break the rhetoric from Anti-Gun folks and draw attention to the fact that the shooting sports are SUPER FUN!” the website said. “Here’s the thing. Guns are fun. Shooting is fun. 30 rounds full auto is fun.”
But the announcement was met with derision from gun safety advocates. And to be sure, the timing is questionable with unintentional shootings among children on the rise – 30% over the past year, according to Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action.
In an interview with the Washington Post, Culper Precision president Brandon Scott stood by his stance that the new offering, called the “BLOCK19,” is meant to convey how fun shooting firearms can be. He also reiterated the stance offered on his company’s website that the weapon is meant to play on the nostalgia of his adult customers for creating “pretend guns” out of Lego blocks.
Scott said arguments that children might mistake the guns for toys aren’t valid in his mind because responsible owners will keep the weapons locked up, and that he isn’t liable for unsafe storage of the product in customers’ homes.
Of course, that ideal scenario isn’t exactly the case in real life. According to a 2015 study, as many as 4.6 million children had at least one loaded and unlocked gun in their homes.
While some BLOCK19’s have been sold, it appears the product has been pulled from the company’s website, but not over safety concerns.
Scott told the Washington Post that Culper Precision received a cease-and-desist letter from Lego and made the decision to comply.
Lego themselves released a statement on the matter, which said in part, "We have contacted the company and they have agreed to remove the product from their website and not make or sell anything like this in the future."
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