Company unveils kit encasing handguns in Lego blocks

A Utah-based company has unveiled a kit that encases handguns in Lego Blocks, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday.

Culper Precision explained that it wanted to build a Glock19 with Legos as their base, saying that it superglued the Lego parts together and that the final product is fully functional. 

“We wanted the second amendment to simply be too painful to tread on, so there was only one logical solution,” Culper Precision wrote to Instagram. “Here’s one of those childhood dreams coming to life, the Block 19 prototype, yes you can actually build Legos onto it.”

Founder of Moms Demand Action (MDA) and gun safety activist Shannon Watts shared an image of the Lego “Block19″ to Twitter Thursday with a review of the product that called it “the most irresponsible gun modification.” 

Review of the product from a commenter on the Firearm Blog: “This, if real, is the most irresponsible gun modification I have seen in a long time. Perfect fodder for the ‘Everytown for Gun Safety’ people. Not a help.” https://t.co/T36lzybfhW

— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) July 8, 2021

Kristin Song, whose 15-year-old son died in 2018 after accidentally shooting himself, told the Post that when she first saw the image, she thought that it was a joke.

“How is this even legal?” she said.

However, there are currently no federal laws that prohibit companies from making firearms that look like toys. 

A Texas gun shop in 2016 came under fire for coating its handguns with images of Hello Kitty, and in March North Carolina authorities found a Glock firearm that resembled a Nerf toy gun during a drug raid, according to the Post. 

Culper Precision president Brandon Scott told the Post that the purpose of the gun’s Lego-based design is to expose people to the fun of shooting, adding that he was inspired by his own three children playing with Lego blocks.

“We here at Culper Precision are grateful for the attention that Block19 is currently getting across the globe. We built Block19 to create an opportunity to talk about the enjoyment of the shooting sports and the joy that can only be found in marksmanship practice and training,” Culper Precision said in a statement shared with The Hill.

“While the 2nd Amendment is foundationally important to the freedoms that we enjoy in the United States of America as a check on the power that We the People grant our elected officials and as a tool to make the weak strong in the face of those who would oppress and maim, we also recognize and built this to highlight the pure enjoyment of the shooting sports as we feel that like us, our customers truly deeply love the shooting sports and the inherent fun, satisfaction and joy that comes from participation in them,” it added.

Scott also said that if one of the customer’s children accidentally shoots themselves with the gun, that will be their own responsibility, adding that the parent should be held “criminally liable,” according to the Post. 

Scott added that Lego sent an email to his company, saying it was “displeased” with the gun design, the Post noted. 

“We 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,” a Lego spokesperson told The Hill in an email. 

Updated: 5:38 p.m.