If you were wondering what happens to 29-year-old men who still play with Lego, take Jeremy Bell as an example. The partner at digital marketing company Teehan+Lax was surrounded by heavily armed tactical officers, cuffed and held against the wall of his Richmond St. W. office — until, that is, the cops found the gun he had been holding in front of the window about 90 minutes earlier was a pile of blocks.
The BrickGun Semi-Automatic gun (purchased online from BrickGun, “designers and builders of the world’s most realistic custom Lego weapon models”) arrived at Bell’s office Wednesday. The lifetime Lego fan finished assembling his toy — complete with build-it-yourself magazine — at 5:40 p.m.
But the tenant in an apartment about six metres across the way didn’t see that last part. At about 7 p.m., as Bell and some colleagues played a video game, the Emergency Task Force moved in. “They were screaming in the hallway for me to come out,” Bell said. “When I went out there and I saw there was an officer kind of crouched down in the stairwell, it was clear what was going on.” “I’m not trafficking guns or selling drugs or anything like that, so as soon as I saw that these cops were legit, I was like, all right, this has got to be about this stupid gun.” Pressed up against the wall, his hands thrown in cuffs, Bell directed the cops to the pieces of fake gun sitting in a box by the window. Moments later, he was free. “At least you have a story to tell now,” he quoted one cop as saying. The neighbour who called the cops tweeted an apology to Bell on Twitter and posted a note in his apartment window, Bell said.
Sheesh.
Yeah that’s when you know it’s time to get a girlfriend
Be a good citizen and report on your neighbor. Do not allow the basic facts and the truth get in the way. Everyone is guilty at first glance. This is the police state that we are in today.
Canada. Bullshit country. Let me get this right. A guy is alone in his office, and allegedly has a semi automatic weapon. Well, in Canada, citizens are not allowed to defend themselves, so naturally this guy is going to be assaulted by tactical hoodlums. In America, in most states, but not all, you are allowed to protect yourself, and possession of a weapon is not a crime in your own office. Thank God for the 2nd Amendment, which was enacted to resist tyrants such as those in the times of the Roman Empire who denied citizens any right to protect themselves. But Canada, obviously, desires to return to the days of yesteryear, when tyrants ruled with an iron fist. I am buying another 1911 next week. A Kimber CDP II with the original John Browning designed 5″ barrel. No short 1911’s for me. My second 1911. This should do it. Incidentally, in California, you better get them before Jan 1, since that is when that bastard Arnold’s essential semi-auto ban goes into effect. Yummy good. As good as solid gold.
Aaahhh Canada, OK was a little worried there for a minute. I had at least 10 people see me unload my truck this morning. Two rifles, one pistol, (there were two of us) and a very dead deer in the back. I was starting to wonder when the cops (or PETA) were going to show.
I can’t believe the cops put themselves at risk like that! Obviously the only sane way to approach this office where a weapon had been reported as having been seen, was with sixteen or eighteen hand grenades lobbed in there as a warning!
It’s ok… they don’t protect free speech in Canada either.
The Mac-11 shoots rubber bands. ME WANT ONE. and the Desert Eagle on as well.
All the coolness of having a real gun without my suicidal tendencies becoming a tragedy.
The “neighbour” knew him well enough to have his Twitter address but not well enough to twit a “what are you doing with a gun, Jeremy?”
#8 Good point.
Actually those toy guns are illegal. I cannot remember the exact law. But any toy gun has to have the tip of the barrel painted orange to help differentiate between real and fake.
Is it illegal to paint the muzzle of your pistol orange?
Law enforcement was totally right. They should now force him to pay the SWAT enforcement expenses.
That’s the price for displaying and implying a message with what appears as a human killing device.
He should rethink buying that lego suicide bomber strap on too.
Quinn (#10): Actually, they are legal. They are replica (or models, on the site). Non-firing replica guns come in realistic metal as well. None needs to be orange because they are not toys, they are aimed at adults. Granted, adults who act like kids. LOL.
WTF. It is not ILLEGAL to own a hand gun in Canada, just restricted:
“Canada limits possession of handguns to collectors, target shooters and those who can demonstrate a need of guns to protect their lives.”
So this over reactive neighbor and the “sitting around scratching their asses, trying to justify their huge expense” swat team go into action protecting the public from…what exactly?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_firearm-related_death_rate
Total firearm-related death rate
United States: 11.66
Canada: 4.78
Does Canada have near the gang problem that the US has?
I believe some deaths are just fine to retain important rights – because people want to control what others do, and freedom to do (generally) what we want, and believe what we want, is important.