A United States-based gun manufacturing company, Culper Precision, finds itself amid raging criticism after producing a toy-looking gun. The pistol, which is a real firearm, looks like a children’s toy made of Lego. This is highly concerning considering the surging cases of gun violence in the country and the creation of such firearms is expected to make it easier for violaters to carry the weapon easily.

 Customised Glock weapon named Block19 looks exactly like a toy made by Lego. The colours, blue, yellow and red that the manufacturers used, give it an appearance of a toy gun. 

Also Read: Is gun violence rising in the United States?

The company on the other hand has clarified its stance by calling it an effort to “highlight the pure enjoyment of the shooting sport”, BBC reported.

Culper Precision in a statement said that it had chosen to release Block19 in an attempt to show that guns were “for everyone” and that “owning and shooting firearms responsibly is a really enjoyable activity.”

In their defence, the company’s statement also said that this gun can be purchased only by those who have a legal permit to own the gun.

Meanwhile, the Danish toymaker Lego has written to the company demanding that it stop producing the weapon, which is covered in what looks like Lego bricks.

The gun control advocated has called it an irresponsible move on the company’s part.

Shannon Watts, a Gun Safety campaign group member, said told BBC that her organisation contacted Lego about the customised Block19 last week and that the Danish company had then sent a “cease and desist” letter to Culper Precision.

As far as Lego’s complaint is considered, Culper Precision president Brandon Scott told the Washington Post newspaper that he had decided to comply with Lego’s request after consultation with his lawyers.

The block19 weapon has been removed from the gun manufacturer’s website.

The rising cases of gun-related violence and mass killings have been a cause of concern for the US for years. Recently, New York became the first US state to declare gun violence, which is a huge concern among the American population, an emergency.

According to FBI data, shooting incidents in Chicago are up by 15% from the same point last year and are more than double the level they were at two years ago. New York has seen a nearly 38% rise in shooting incidents for the period from the beginning of January up to 4 July compared with the same period in 2020.