Attorney Guy Relford had only been at his law office in Carmel’s Arts & Design District for a few minutes the late morning of Sept. 15 when Carmel Police Dept. officers knocked on his door.
Assuming they were coming to warn him about yet another gas leak in the building, Relford – whose practice focuses on protecting Second Amendment rights – was shocked to hear officers instead say they had received a call from someone claiming to be in his office threatening to set off a bomb on-site.
“They went through the entire building,” Relford said. “(The CPD officers) were consummate professionals. They were fantastic.”
After searching the building at 1 S. Range Line Rd. with a bomb-detecting K-9 and blocking off roads in the area, CPD officers determined the threat was not legitimate.
But the incident wasn’t yet over. Relford said as officers prepared to leave, he received a call on his cellphone from an unknown number. He showed it to an officer, who confirmed it came from the same number that reported the bomb threat. So, Relford turned on his phone’s speaker and listened — along with police.
“He was making threats against me and death threats against my family,” Relford said. “I pressed him, ‘Who is this?’ I didn’t recognize the voice or recognize who it was.”
Relford, who hosts a weekly radio show on WIBC called “The Gun Guy,” said he’s received threatening calls on rare occasions, usually from someone trying to connect him with the National Rifle Association after a mass shooting incident. But most feedback he’s received has been supportive of his work, he said.
“Overall, it’s been overwhelmingly positive,” he said. “Less than a handful of times I’ve gotten a few anonymous calls from a blocked number.”
Relford, who is the owner and chief instructor at Tactical Firearms Training in Indianapolis, said the incident hasn’t rattled him.
“Part of doing what I do for a living is being prepared to defend yourself and your family,” he said. “I don’t think it’s a legitimate threat. I hope it’s not a legitimate threat, but if somebody wants to do harm to me or my family, I’ll do what’s necessary at that point.”
Police are continuing to investigate the incident. Anyone with information is asked to contact CPD at 317-571-2500 or Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477. Reference CPD case number 2021-62189.
