Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
NJ Man Builds Giant Gun Mailbox "Because He Can"
By
Lauren Evans
Published Sep 9, 2013
Modified Sep 9, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Lauren Evans
Published Sep 9, 2013
Modified Sep 9, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Before there was Twitter or Vine, Americans often used their own homes as a means of expressing themselves to those around them. A brilliant Christmas lights display, perhaps, or an elaborately carved shrubbery. But one New Jersey man recently decided to take his creativity to a whole new caliber, erecting a 350 pound model .44 Magnum in his front yard for use as...a mailbox.
“I got nothing but compliments,” 49-year-old Lopatcong Township resident Roger Buchko told the Daily News. “I had one person throw eggs on it, but I’m sure that was just kids.”
The mailbox, a behemoth replica of a Smith & Wesson firearm, isn't intended as a political statement, Buchko said. Rather, the semi-retired cabinet maker said it's an attempt to rustle up some business. (Despite receiving an abundance of messages from across the globe, Buchko has yet to see any requests for mailbox gun commissions.) And because he "needed a new mailbox," obviously:
Roger Buchko's Facebook
But most importantly, Buchko said, he did it for the same reason that anyone does anything: Because he can.
Tagged
guns
mailbox
smith & wesson
Lauren Evans
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Retired NYPD detective charged in George Washington Bridge killing out on $1M bail
Victor Romero, who retired from the police department in 2001
By
Michael Sol Warren
Published Oct 25, 2026 at 10:25 a.m. ET
Suicides decline in NYC, but inequities persist across groups
New data shows suicide taking an outsize toll among Latino New Yorkers, even as overall deaths fell.
By
Jill Webb
News
Suicides decline in NYC, but inequities persist across groups
New data shows suicide taking an outsize toll among Latino New Yorkers, even as overall deaths fell.
By
Jill Webb
Cuts to rural healthcare become key issue for upstate votes in race for NY governor
By
Samuel King
NY Archdiocese will soon settle $800M clergy sexual abuse claims
By
Arya Sundaram
Chinatown residents file lawsuit against after-hours construction on new 'mega jail'
By
Arya Sundaram
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .