A U.S. gun company is at the center of controversy for making a gun that looks like a children’s Lego toy. Culper Precision, a Utah-based gun company, has developed his personalized Glock weapon, named Block19, to “showcase the sheer pleasure of shooting sports”. The handgun, nicknamed the Block19, is a custom semi-automatic firearm covered with Lego’s signature red, blue and yellow brick design, giving the fully functional weapon a toy-like appearance.
The semi-automatic weapon debuted last week, which the gun company called “SUPER FUN!” “This is just a small way to break the rhetoric of the Anti-Gun folks and draw attention to the fact that shooting sports are SUPER FUN!” the company’s website said.
“There is a satisfaction that can only be found in shooting sports and this is just a small way to break the rhetoric of the Anti-Gun folks and draw attention to the fact that shooting sports are SUPER FUN! ” the site promoting the new weapon noted. He further added, “Here’s the thing. Guns are fun. Shooting is fun. 30 fully automatic laps is fun.
This new toy-like gun sparked massive outrage from those involved and as a result Block19 was taken down by the company and the gun page on the website has since been removed. However, the company still justified their gun, saying they wanted to create an opportunity to talk about the fun of shooting sports and the joy that can only be found in practice and shooting training.
In a declaration Posted on its website, Culper Precision criticized the anti-gun campaign in the United States, saying they were “fed up”. “We’ve had enough of the last 30 to 40 years of slowly surrendering our rights for fear that someone who hates us for exercising our 2nd Amendment rights will think of us,” the statement said.
“Rather than living in fear of loud voices on social media, we decided to post Block19 with the goal of communicating that it is okay to own a gun and not wear tactical pants every day and that responsibly owning and shooting firearms is a truly enjoyable activity. “said the company justifying its decision to release the weapon.
In the statement, Culper Person said he chose to release Block19 in an effort to show that guns are ‘for everyone’ and that ‘owning and shooting guns responsibly is a real business. pleasant”.
Lego asks Utah-based company to cease and desist
However, Lego-type weapons designed by Culper Precision appear to have experienced all kinds of problems, as Danish toy maker Lego Group wrote to the company asking them to stop producing the weapon that looks like Lego bricks.
The Lego Group said in a statement on Wednesday that it had asked Culper to stop selling the Block19. “We contacted the company and they agreed to remove the product from their website and not to manufacture or sell anything like this in the future,” Lego said.
Meanwhile, gun control activists have described the Lego-type weapons developed by Culper as irresponsible and dangerous. Several people have pointed out that a large number of accidental shooting of weapons by children is already happening in the United States, causing deaths, and this will only increase with a weapon that looks like a popular toy.
Shannon Watts, a gun safety activist, said her organization contacted the Danish toy maker about the custom Block19 last week and the Danish company then sent a ‘cease and desist’ letter To Culper Precision.
Calling it a recipe for disaster, the gun activist also criticized Culper Person saying there was a risk that children would be tricked into using guns “even when guns don’t look like toys “.
Review of the product by a commentator on the Gun Blog: “This, so real, is the most irresponsible gun modification I’ve seen in a long time. Perfect forage for the folks at ‘Everytown for Gun Safety’. Not a help. https://t.co/T36lzybfhW
– Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) July 8, 2021
According to Watts, it’s illegal in the United States to produce a children’s toy that looks like a real gun, however, it’s not clear whether manufacturers can produce guns that look like a toy.
The company withdraws its design gun from Lego toys
Meanwhile, Culper Precision chairman Brandon Scott told the Washington Post that they decided to comply with Lego’s request after discussions with a lawyer. The company added that the firearm could only be purchased by people legally authorized to own a firearm. The company has also reportedly removed the gun in question from its website.
The controversy comes at a time when the United States recorded the highest gun sales this year, coupled with a sharp increase in gun violence this year. Data suggest that US citizens purchased nearly 23 million guns in 2020, a 65% increase from the nearly 14 million guns sold in 2019. Additionally, gun sales are expected to reach a historic record in 2021.
Cases of gun violence involving children are also on the rise in the United States, as more than 140 people were killed in such gun-related incidents last year.
