Lego tells company to stop selling custom toy-like gun
Anti-gun-violence campaigner says she thought ‘children will die’ when she first saw the weapon
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Lego has told a company to stop making a real gun that looks like it is made out of the toy bricks.
The colourful firearm has sparked a backlash in the US, with campaigners calling it “unacceptable” to produce a gun that looks like a toy.
Culper Precision, the Utah-based company who developed the gun – which they called the “Block 19” – “one of those childhood dreams coming to life”, and said that Lego bricks could be built onto it.
Lego told The Independent they had been in touch with the company following media attention surrounding the product.
“They have agreed to remove the product from their website and not make or sell anything like this in the future,” Lego told The Independent in a statement.
Culper Precision’s president told The Washington Post that the company had received a “cease and desist” letter from Lego.
Campaigners had hit out at the product, which looked similar to a Lego toy.
Moms Demand Action and Everytown, groups that campaign against gun violence, said: “With unintentional shootings by children on the rise since the pandemic and children at home during the summer, having a firearm that looks like a toy is unacceptable.”
Shannon Watts, the group’s founder, told The Washington Post that when she first saw the image of the weapon, she thought it was “sick and that children would die”.
In an Instagram post, Culper Precision said its “Block 19” gun was built “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”.
“Our business is taking a firearm of known value and transforming it into a personalised invaluable treasure for a fair price,” the company said.
“People have the right to customise their property to make it look like whatever they want. It is our business to assist firearms owners in making their guns better reflect them as a person and individual.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments