Commentary: 'Toy' Gun Found in Police Raid Is a Fully Functioning Firearm
As any responsible gun owner knows, guns are not toys. It is a simple declaration, but gun safety saves lives. But, as Damien Alonzo Burch, a resident of Catawba, North Carolina, proves, new technology and designs can…
As any responsible gun owner knows, guns are not toys. It is a simple declaration, but gun safety saves lives.
But, as Damien Alonzo Burch, a resident of Catawba, North Carolina, proves, new technology and designs can worryingly blur the lines between guns and toys.
According to a March 18 media release by the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office, “Narcotics Investigators with the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office, Hickory Police Department and the Newton Police Department” executed a search warrant on Burch’s home, as he was under investigation for possession of narcotics.
“During this search investigators seized quantities of cocaine, psilocybin mushrooms and marijuana. Investigators also seized approximately $2,300.00 in United States Currency and twenty firearms consisting of pistols, rifles and shotguns,” the release noted.
One of the weapons was particularly shocking. The media release elaborated that a “Glock model 19 pistol with a fifty round drum magazine, had been altered to resemble a toy Nerf gun.”
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It is important to note that the gun did not have any illegal modifications. That being said, any gun modified to look innocuous — especially when it is connected to a narcotics investigation — is going to be of concern to law enforcement.
Some commenters expressed confusion as to why a legal gun was of such attention during an otherwise standard narcotics investigation.
“If the nefarious intent were to the degree that you are implying, there would be a stock on that roni; not an arm brace. Quit trying to Demagogue folks to make yourself feel better, and make your constituents fear a Boogieman that isn’t even there,” one person argued.
“If the gun is not illegal to why are you harping on it? Couldn’t find any big scary AK’s or AR’s to cry about? That roni Glock pistol conversion isn’t any more illegal than the rest of the guns on that table,” another person agreed. However, others were concerned about the possibility of children have access to toy-like firearms.