UPDATE: The original article incorrectly stated that this was a modified Nerf toy gun. Deputies actually said that the gun was a converted rifle that had been altered to have the appearance of a Nerf toy gun. We apologize for any confusion.
CATAWBA, NORTH CAROLINA – So, we have all seen the stories of criminals, mischievous teens or even preteens, brandishing very realistic appearing toy guns. Sometimes they are attempting to commit a crime, other times they are just showing off or acting stupid. Often it ends with tragic results when law enforcement officers or armed citizens are unable to discern that it is a toy, and in a split-second life or death decision, fire a real gun and seriously wound or kill the person with the toy gun.
Now the bad guys are doing a 180 and disguising real firearms to look like a child’s toy, with amazing effectiveness. One such handgun was seized by law enforcement officers during a drug raid on Wednesday, March 18th. The weapon appeared to be a plastic Nerf gun, but was in fact a 9mm Glock 19 pistol, which had not only been skillfully mounted in the modified Nerf gun housing, but also painted to match. The only readily apparent give-away was the unpainted black polymer stock attached to the rear of the toy gun housing.
The Catawba County Sheriff’s Office says that even though the gun is admittedly not illegal, it is extremely alarming to law enforcement officials. Deputies say it appears that the original Nerf gun, in its unaltered form, was a rifle with a fifty-round drum magazine. Certain parts of the plastic toy were removed, which allowed the fully functional semi-automatic handgun to be mounted into the toy frame. The Glock had also been painted in the same blue and orange colors to blend in with the original color scheme of the Nerf gun. The craftsman responsible for the work failed to complete the paint job, leaving the rear stock black, which made it look obviously suspicious.
The surprising find was discovered when CCSO executed a search warrant at a home along Old Catawba Road in Catawba, with the assistance of officers from the two largest municipal police departments in the county, Hickory and Newton. The search turned up cocaine, psilocybin mushrooms, marijuana, and $2,300 in cash. Twenty firearms including pistols, rifles, and shotguns were also seized, including the unique “glerf” gun.
The 35-year-old resident has been arrested and charged with felonious possession of cocaine, felonious possession of mushrooms, and misdemeanor possession of marijuana. He was being held on a $20,000 unsecured bond and had his first appearance in Catawba County District Court on Thursday, March 18.
Admit it…before reading this, you would never have raised an eyebrow if someone pointed a Nerf gun at you. Now, after reading it, you will never look at a Nerf gun the same again. It just goes to show that in this day and time, you can no longer safely assume that anything is what it appears to be.
