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Give your head a shake, America...
15 November 2010
Headline from today's news: "Fla. dealership offers free AK-47 for truck buyers." Nope. Not a joke. It's a real promotion. A real, scary promotion.
Only in America would someone give away an automatic weapon with a vehicle purchase. You have to admit that's not just bizarre - it's insane in the clinical sense of the word. You're giving people an AUTOMATIC WEAPON? A weapon designed for the sole purpose of killing other people? A weapon that has proven itself very, very effective for that purpose? Even in the gun-crazy Tea-Party strongholds of the USA, an AK-47 is over the top.
No one south of the border is screaming out for the madness to stop. Normal is giving away a free cab liner, free leather seat upgrades, free gas for a year, or free roadside assistance. Not an automatic weapon.
Check the ad on their web site. Sales have more than doubled since they started this, so much so they're thinking of extending the promotion until year end! And that means how many more people are running around with AK-47s? Do you think you should vacation in Florida, the same state where the AK-47-toting folks live? Do you think this makes Florida safe? or a lot more dangerous and scary? This was, you recall, the same state where a church was going to burn the Koran and set off a Muslim extreme-fest in the rest of the world.
The story was repeated on an Orlando Web site, with this addition:
No sense of moral outrage there, just business as usual. A perfect gift for Veterans' Day - give an Iraqi or Afghanistan vet the same weapon the Iraqis or the Taliban used to kill his buddies. Or send him home without a leg or arm. This is the same weapon that has been killing American soldiers since the Viet Nam war. Back then it was the Soviet made choice of anti-American forces worldwide. Today it's the choice of anti-American terrorists worldwide. And no one south of the border sees the irony in this promotion?
I can't find a lot of outrage over this down south. One site had this semi-apologetic tone:
Take the good with the bad? That's a wimp out. You CAN protest the madness, you know. You CAN stand up against it and push back for some sanity.
The only upset I found was a foul-mouthed American religious-gun-toting blogger who complained that the gun wasn't worth as much as the attention it was generating (expletives edited):
The AK-47 is "really awesome", he says. Guns, gods and the bible. It's the Tea Party wet dream.
As Michael Moore pointed out in his landmark film, Bowling for Columbine, other American businesses have given away guns to get more customers - including the bank Moore featured in his movie. And in 2008, a Missouri car dealer gave away handguns with a car purchase. The most this sort of madness ever seems to get in the US media is some jocular finger-pointing.
Only in America would someone give away an automatic weapon with a vehicle purchase. You have to admit that's not just bizarre - it's insane in the clinical sense of the word. You're giving people an AUTOMATIC WEAPON? A weapon designed for the sole purpose of killing other people? A weapon that has proven itself very, very effective for that purpose? Even in the gun-crazy Tea-Party strongholds of the USA, an AK-47 is over the top.
No one south of the border is screaming out for the madness to stop. Normal is giving away a free cab liner, free leather seat upgrades, free gas for a year, or free roadside assistance. Not an automatic weapon.
Quote
SANFORD, Fla. – A central Florida dealership trying to drum up business is offering an unusual perk for potential used-truck buyers: A free AK-47 assault rifle.
General sales manager Nick Ginetta says that since the promotion was announced on Veterans Day, business has more than doubled at Nations Trucks in Sanford.
Customers would have to pass a background check before using the $400 gun shop voucher. They also have the option of using the money toward other firearms, or they can request a check in that amount instead.
The dealership has fielded some complaints about the deal, which Ginetta acknowledges is controversial. But, he adds: "My buyer is absolutely a gun owner, no question."
The promotion runs through the end of November.
General sales manager Nick Ginetta says that since the promotion was announced on Veterans Day, business has more than doubled at Nations Trucks in Sanford.
Customers would have to pass a background check before using the $400 gun shop voucher. They also have the option of using the money toward other firearms, or they can request a check in that amount instead.
The dealership has fielded some complaints about the deal, which Ginetta acknowledges is controversial. But, he adds: "My buyer is absolutely a gun owner, no question."
The promotion runs through the end of November.
Check the ad on their web site. Sales have more than doubled since they started this, so much so they're thinking of extending the promotion until year end! And that means how many more people are running around with AK-47s? Do you think you should vacation in Florida, the same state where the AK-47-toting folks live? Do you think this makes Florida safe? or a lot more dangerous and scary? This was, you recall, the same state where a church was going to burn the Koran and set off a Muslim extreme-fest in the rest of the world.
The story was repeated on an Orlando Web site, with this addition:
Quote
General sales manager Nick Ginetta said the promotion will run until the end of the month. He said anyone who purchases a truck will receive a $400 voucher to a local gun store. He said customers will have to go through the application process and qualify under state and federal laws. Ginetta said any buyers who don't want a gun will be given cash.
Ginetta said he knows the promotion is controversial, but he believes it will bring in business -- and he said it's already working. At the close of business Thursday, he said the dealership had 47 appointments scheduled for Friday. Normally, he said there are only three.
Ginetta said he also believes it's a perfect Veterans (sic) Day promotion.
Ginetta said he knows the promotion is controversial, but he believes it will bring in business -- and he said it's already working. At the close of business Thursday, he said the dealership had 47 appointments scheduled for Friday. Normally, he said there are only three.
Ginetta said he also believes it's a perfect Veterans (sic) Day promotion.
No sense of moral outrage there, just business as usual. A perfect gift for Veterans' Day - give an Iraqi or Afghanistan vet the same weapon the Iraqis or the Taliban used to kill his buddies. Or send him home without a leg or arm. This is the same weapon that has been killing American soldiers since the Viet Nam war. Back then it was the Soviet made choice of anti-American forces worldwide. Today it's the choice of anti-American terrorists worldwide. And no one south of the border sees the irony in this promotion?
I can't find a lot of outrage over this down south. One site had this semi-apologetic tone:
Quote
Guns are legal. Trucks are legal. Why not combine the two into a one-stop point-of-purchase for those who love both guns and trucks, which is a fairly significant portion of the population. Many people are offended by the mere existence and legality of weapons such as AK-47s. Giving them away as part of a sales promotion seems ridiculous and dangerous, given the destructive power of the weapons. When you couple that sentiment with the fact that random shootings occur almost weekly throughout the country, it's rational to fear the worst. But this is the United States and people are free to bear arms of almost any kind. We have to take the good with the bad, I suppose.
Take the good with the bad? That's a wimp out. You CAN protest the madness, you know. You CAN stand up against it and push back for some sanity.
The only upset I found was a foul-mouthed American religious-gun-toting blogger who complained that the gun wasn't worth as much as the attention it was generating (expletives edited):
Quote
The promotion, as you probably guessed, is f***' killing it. Nation's Trucks general sales manager has said that since the hand cannon promotion started last week, the dealership has more than doubled their sales. This just goes to show you how f*** dumb some people are when the smallest incentive presents itself. The gun, while really really awesome, retails for only $400! And, civilians can buy one. I know this because the dealership is just sending them to a gun shop to get their free gun. So either these people all just needed non-certified used trucks or they are f*** idiots.
This incentive package, as you probably also could have guessed, has not gone without complaint, either. I mean, anytime you decide to hand out guns to the general public, there is bound to be both whiners and casualties. So far we only have whiners, but I'm hopeful for more. The sales manager, however, fires back at those opposing this idea by saying, "My buyer is absolutely a gun owner, no question." Well, chief, it's kind of impossible for them not to be, now isn't it?
This incentive package, as you probably also could have guessed, has not gone without complaint, either. I mean, anytime you decide to hand out guns to the general public, there is bound to be both whiners and casualties. So far we only have whiners, but I'm hopeful for more. The sales manager, however, fires back at those opposing this idea by saying, "My buyer is absolutely a gun owner, no question." Well, chief, it's kind of impossible for them not to be, now isn't it?
The AK-47 is "really awesome", he says. Guns, gods and the bible. It's the Tea Party wet dream.
As Michael Moore pointed out in his landmark film, Bowling for Columbine, other American businesses have given away guns to get more customers - including the bank Moore featured in his movie. And in 2008, a Missouri car dealer gave away handguns with a car purchase. The most this sort of madness ever seems to get in the US media is some jocular finger-pointing.
