Buy a Truck, Get a Gun
Yes, you read that correctly. A local car dealership is making this offer to anyone who buys a certain model of truck from their dealership. Sadly, this promotion isn’t unique. I did a Google search and it came back with over 500,000 similar offers or related postings.
I was so shocked by this, that I posted a comment on my local neighborhood site, urging people to boycott this business. The responses I received were typical from the gun-loving right. I was called a “Liberal” (as if that was an insult), told to “go back to where I came from” (sound familiar?) and even received a death threat that I reported to the proper authorities.
The reactions were typical. Guns don’t kill people. Cars and knives kill people too, why not outlaw them and, of course, the usual MAGA nonsense.
These are some of the response I received. (I didn’t correct the spelling or grammatical errors.) I’ve also inserted my own comments in parentheses:
“Bad people with bad intentions or with mental issues kill people not the guns. Good people was carrying licenses save lives and protect themselves their family and other people. If there giving away guns whoever is receiving them have to go through rigorous background checks. So that all being said I believe in my first amendment and my second amendment carry arms. South Carolina will never ever take away your second amendment. And if that's what you're after you might as well move out of South Carolina and move to a sanctuary state like Virginia.”
(Yes, let’s blame mental health, and what was that about “Southern hospitality”?)
“Yankees liberals are some crazies!! Every household needs a gun.”
“Every God Fearin, Tax Payin American citizen should own a gun!”
(Frightening)
“It’s funny cars kill more people than guns but yet they keep on driving ! But Dodge are horrible, I guess the Gun is to shoot the car later on! A little humor can’t hurt- it’s called bullet advertising! HA HA”
“I've been around guns my whole life. My father was a police officer. I never once saw any of our guns kill anyone. But then again , we trained them right, and kept them locked up and they never grew legs. I've never come across a gun that snuck out and killed anyone. People with knives kill people, drugs kill people, prescription drugs kill people, speeding drivers kill people, drunk drivers kill people. I could go on”
(Except cars , knives and prescription drugs don’t have the express purpose of doing bodily harm.)
“Oh my i guess no one realizes that most gun crimes are committed by people that didn't get their guns legally !
(Except the shooters in Las Vegas, Parkland, the Pulse night club and countless others purchased their weapons legally).
“Show me how a gun , can shoot without someone pulling the trigger!! You do know more people are stabbed to death, than shot every year, don’t you?? I was at a Gun Show yesterday.. the place was filled with guns.. no incidents!! Amazing!! according to you’re “common sense”, that shouldn’t happen!! But it did, and ALWAYS does!!!”
(A gun show surrounded by people who agree with you? And they talk about Liberals needing their “Safe Space.)
I received over a hundred responses to my post in just a few hours. Most of them have been attacking me, and calling Liberals “full of hate” while spewing their own hate-filled venom. I turned off notifications after I received a death threat, but I’m sure the same one-sided commentary is continuing.
If the answer to gun violence is more guns, why don’t we put out a fire by making more fires? Why don’t we cure a public health crisis like the current Corona virus by infecting everyone?
In my many years as an educator, I’ve lost many students, both current and former, to gun violence, so yes, this issue is VERY personal to me.
This madness needs to end!!