Montana Gun Freaks Go International
by jhwygirl
I got nothing, really, against guns. I don’t want to take anyone’s gun away and I believe people have a right to own guns.
What I also think is that we have a bunch of gun-worshiping advocate freaks in this state that push dangerous legislation. I think if you want to open carry in your walk around the neighborhood (or the Capitol, for that matter) you are a little bat-crap crazy.
Unless, perhaps, you live up Nine Mile, or Red Lodge or Sula. Not carrying a gun under certain conditions might be just plain stupid.
That being said, I’m going out on a limb here and saying that I bet this guy is one of those gun-worshiping advocates.
You know – the Radio Shack Dish Network satellite guy down in Hamilton giving a free gun away with any dish?
So that story hit the paper on Friday…this morning, I see it on CNN. Not only that Mr. Radio Shack is saying the name “Dish Network” on CNN.
Nice
Then, later in the day I read true-blue Irishman Peter McCay on twitter that his sister called him from the land of Eire asking if “the offer was good in Libya.”
Later, got a link for Belfast Telegraph
Sweet, huh?
Later in the day, Whitney Bermes, local government reporter for the Ravalli Republic (and first reporter on the free-gun-with-satellite-dish story) was back interviewing Mr. Radio Shack again, and guess what? The BBC called.
And, just to complete my twitter-as-news research, I put “Montana gun” in the twitter search and came up with so many tweets with so many news stories from around the world, I could only wonder how long the guy is going to continue giving out gun certificates.
There’s a wealth of comments in there with “only in Montana” and “redneck” and references to incest and marrying cousins and stuff. Do make sure to take a read.
Like this:
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March 29, 2011 at 9:31 pm
I personally think this is “much ado about nothing”. The owner of the business thought up of a novel – if controversal – idea and it made the news. What you are brushing over, though, is how effective this marketing tactic was. I read the same CNN report this afternoon that you did. I have also seen three other stories about this promotion. The kicker is that it is working.
A couple of points here –
1) The owner isn’t actually giving out guns, he is giving a gift certificate to a local gun shop.
2) Anyone desiring to get a gun must pass an FBI background check
3) Most of the people that have gotten guns are already gun owners (not a surprise given that there are more guns in Montana than people)
Regardless of how you fall on the gun debate, this is a harmless sales promotion that worked. My hat’s off to the guy that spent months setting it and getting it past all the people he had to convince to make it happen.
March 29, 2011 at 9:41 pm
I didn’t read CNN, I just saw it on the morning cnn news
So he coordinated this with Radio Shack and Dish Network?
March 29, 2011 at 9:49 pm
Why would he have to coordinate this with anyone? If he’s and independently licensed dealer, he has no on to answer to but himself.
Moorcat is spot on with his analysis.
Google: “free ak 47 promotion”…this sort of thing has been happening for years.
Not to sound too snarky, but I gotta imagine that the majority of anti-gun folks got the majority of their info regarding the sale/transfer of a firearm from watching Bowling for Columbine.
March 29, 2011 at 9:55 pm
He may not be much of a documentarian, but he’s one hell of an editor!
March 29, 2011 at 10:18 pm
Sure its innocuous enough Moorcat…no harm no foul… but wait, between the all so innocent lines is it makes gun sales even more ‘run of the mill’ ‘Be the first on your block to get one of them thar killing instrument sertifekits – and yes Moorcat is right, but the concept sanctions the old west brute mentality anchored already to a pernicious Warrior Culture!!! When all you have is a Gun all your problems look like targets.
Next, will be ads saying: ‘won’t jamb’ when the time is ripe! Whole sale gun/killing instruments! is ugly and making gift certificates cheapens ones sense of integrity and indicative of lawlessness; and evidence of the stalled evolution of the Narcissistic Warrior especially in MT and WY
March 29, 2011 at 10:20 pm
“When all you have is a Gun all your problems look like targets.”
You really believe that, don’t you?
March 29, 2011 at 10:37 pm
Come to my chuch on Sunday, and by GOD I’ll personally put your name in the drawing for a brand spankin’ new FIFTY CAL. MOOSELIM getter! Thas right. A nice, shiny, .50 BMG for the lucky Kristyeean that gets his very own heater for Jaysus! And you can even hunt deer with it too! (course, there won’t be much left of the deer!)
The Most Holy Revrearend Pogue Mahone of the Church of the Most Holy Phallic Gun Worship!
March 29, 2011 at 10:43 pm
Mixing guns and satellite dishes in the Bitterroot isn’t that far a stretch. Thanks for stating the obvious, though, jhwygirl and challenging the Marbut Militia.
Montana doesn’t need the national attention. We have reasonable gun laws here, which I support. Business doesn’t need to exploit guns and the media and the legislature needn’t spend any more time on this issue.
March 29, 2011 at 11:18 pm
Any bets Attorney General Steve Bullock does not criticize “mixing guns and satellite dishes in the Bitterroot” while on the campaign trail, Pete? Why don’t you ask him about it when you are in Helena for the big April Fools day protest. I will help line up a TV camera to be present when you do.
March 29, 2011 at 11:25 pm
Why would he? What the owner is doing is perfectly legal – both he and Dish Network researched the legality of it before hand. Further, (as I said before), before someone can actually claim the gun, they have to pass an FBI check. Again, I don’t see the big deal here unless you are phobic about guns. It isn’t like they are handing out full auto assault weapons. Montana is a state where hunting is actually one of the chief industries. Why does it surprise you that we have a large portion of the population that would desire a “free” gun?
March 29, 2011 at 11:31 pm
Line it up, Pogo. I welcome the discussion. Do you seriously think we need to expand gun laws? And hand out more guns?
March 30, 2011 at 2:52 am
What do you mean by “expand gun laws”? I don’t think we “need” to “hand out more guns” but I see nothing wrong with this guys merchanting scheme. As someone has already said, this guy got millions of dollars of advertising for free with this little number. Good on him.
March 29, 2011 at 11:21 pm
Actually, he did have to coordinate this with Dish Network. According to the article, he spent months in negotiations with them and though they expressed a little discomfort with the idea, they let him go ahead with it. Apparently, it was such a success that he has gotten permission to continue the sale till the summer and Dish Network has signed off on it.
As far as the snarky comments about “shootin Muslums for Jesus” (yes, I know I paraphrased it), there are at least four raffles done in Dillon each year (I buy a ticket each time) and at least one of those raffles is sponsored by a church. One of the other raffles is sponsored by one of the local high school booster groups. It IS a fact of life in Montana. It certainly doesn’t make us inbred, redneck, or stupid. I am none of those things and I own a fair amount of “shooting irons” – in fact, I am training to be a gunsmith. I got a kick out of the “when you own a gun, everything looks like a target too”. It certainly establishes where you sit on the gun debate.
March 30, 2011 at 12:42 am
Not so. i hunt – 3 WhiteTail’s this last season. i give 1/3rd to the Ursuline Sisters women’s shelter and enhancement clinic. i was wounded in combat during the Tet Offensive. i hunted Jackson Wy for 15 years…had an Elk on the table every year. cept when i was bizzy fighting for truth, justice and da ‘murikan way…
The gun totten public feeds off of itself. Most are forever clones of the oppressor envy brigades; see ‘um ridden on their motor-cycles ‘Montana Patriots’ patched on their tails. and i dare say there’s a fair amount of Racism in the gun totten public.The certificate, its just, venal.
March 30, 2011 at 8:15 am
Moorcat, you missed my point completely. You see, if you know ANYTHING at all about guns, you would KNOW that giving away a Highpoint .380 is like giving away a piece of SH*T! It’s so worthless, it can’t even be considered a Saturday night special! It’s a sat. night piece of crap! If you use THAT “gun” for protection, you BEST be in good stead with the Lord, ’cause you might soon be joinin’ him up yonder! People who fall for this promotion are simply morons and nitwits! In other words, SHEEP for the fleecin’!
That’s why I would encourage them to come find Jaysus at my church of the inbred racists. Heck, if’n’ they’re THAT friggin’ dumb, I’ll bet I can con them, Ooops!, I mean show them the way to contribute LOTS of money to the collection plate! I mean, look, if you’re willing to buy a freakin’ satellite dish by getting a gun that costs maybe eighty bucks but is worthless, then by GOD I want you in my church!
I think it’s funny as hell myself. No snark intended. And you’re right. If you’re gonna raffle sumthin’, don’t raffle SH*T!
March 30, 2011 at 9:41 am
I totally disregarded the High Point (as I am sure most of the people who did get guns did as well). The shotgun being given away is not much better but a 20 guage shotgun VS a cheap .380 pistol… not much choice there.
I did find it interesting that the gun store owner went along with it in the hopes of gaining more business from these people for “accessories”. The only “accessory” for that High Point pistol is an aftermarket conversion kit that turns the pistol into a fairly decent looking carbine. In fact, the conversion kit is better made than the gun itself is – and costs about as much as the gun.
March 30, 2011 at 5:23 pm
Sorry, dude, but there ain’t ANYthing that’s gonna improve a Highpoint. Nuthin’! I can’t believe that anyone still sells them. Most gunshops I know won’t touch them. Hell, PAWN shops won’t even take them. Yes, they’re that bad.
March 30, 2011 at 6:31 pm
It depends. The manufacturing is spotty at best. Some are decent though. My wife can put 10 in the X ring at 15 feet with her compact 9mm. I was somewhat concerned about her getting it given what I have seen with them, but she likes it and can use it very well. I had the .45 and it sucked pretty hardcore. When they made the .45 carbine, that performed pretty well (I traded mine for another rifle a number of years back). All of the 9mm carbines I have fired sucked large.
March 30, 2011 at 9:15 pm
Sorry, but it doesn’t depend. It’s not even a real gun. I’m not trying to be contentious here, but I would hate for anyone reading this to think that it would even be considered a real weapon. It’s not. It’s a piece of sh*t. It should no be purchased under any circumstances. You are wasting your hardearned money by buying such a gun. But don’t take my word for it, fellow reader. Ask ANY gun dealer. ANY! I hate to see anyone supporting the company. It should go out of business.
And that is what makes this ad scheme even MORE ridiculous. The guy has NO scruples. In fact, as a serious gun enthusiast, I think he is doing great harm by putting a shit weapon in the hands of unsuspecting people.
March 30, 2011 at 12:15 am
Pete, I was referring to the hub bub the left is making about the bright Bitterroot Radio Shack owner who picked up a few million dollars of free publicity with his free gun gift certifcate campaign. It’s a brilliant campaign. He isn’t advocating expanding any gun laws that I have seen.
The left on the other hand is showing how out of touch it is with Montana sportsmen/women and average Montana voters by trying to portray him and his customers as some type of a nuts.
So the offer still stands. Let me know when you will ask Bullock if he thinks this fellow’s ad campaign is “bat crap crazy” or if he and his customers are irrational gun nuts and I will help line up a camera. As a sweetner, I will buy you and some of your fellow B-Birders a few rounds of drinks if you can get Bullock to agree with jhwyGirl and say on camera that this fellow and his customers are “gun worshiping gun freaks.” Get him to throw “redneck” into the description and I will double the offer.
If Steve won’t take the bait, then I will buy you a drink just for trying simply because I like our writing style.
March 30, 2011 at 12:44 am
“…..because I like YOUR writing style.”
March 30, 2011 at 8:04 am
Exactly right Pogo, national attention is the best advertising, mostly because it’s free.
But this story even has better consequences. It scares the crap out of ultra liberal CA refugees who want to move here and screw up our state like the one they left.
March 30, 2011 at 2:23 pm
Actually, Pogo, signing up for Dish just to get a High Point .380 is the definition of “bat crap crazy”, mostly because they’re both bat crap …
March 30, 2011 at 5:14 pm
One point I will give you Rob is that you are definitly the expert on all things “bat crap crazy.”
March 30, 2011 at 5:48 pm
‘Been studying you long enough …
March 30, 2011 at 6:00 pm
Having another bad day aren’t you Rob.
March 30, 2011 at 9:17 pm
Take my word for it. I’ve probably OWNED damn near any gun you can name. The Highpoint is the highpoint of SH*T! He’s right. And yes, I AM a sort of expert on guns.
March 30, 2011 at 2:10 am
I don’t think the guy need be a gun worshiper – he might just be a clever businessman who knows that putting ‘free gun’ on a sign guarantees that he’ll get noticed, get some free publicity, and even stir up a little controversy. After all, with thousands of people across the country calling the sanity of Montana into question, how many folks do you suppose are going to take up his offer just because its their right, and those east coast liberals can’t tell them how to live.
March 30, 2011 at 10:38 am
Look over here! No, over there! Distracted yet? Trillions are being wasted, trillions we don’t have, and may never have.
It’s an election year, one year early. The war economy, the banks, including the fed, and energy policy – what policy? – should be plenty to keep the electorate focused.
So, marijuana, guns, wolves, abortion, and birth certificates occupies our thoughts. I have chickens with longer attention spans, and more common sense.
March 30, 2011 at 11:44 am
What makes you think that we are distracted? There are plenty of discussions going on right now about the budget, the wars in Libya, Afghanistan, and Iraq, energy, and the almost criminal way our State and Federal Legislators are acting. Many who have commented (myself included) have posted at length on those subjects. I guess we are all pretty good at multi-tasking.
March 30, 2011 at 2:31 pm
I find myself in agreement with Ladybug (who knew?). You know as well as I, Moorcat, that this whole topic is a dog-whistle for the very “gun freaks” that jhwygirl is writing about here. Just because you or I multitask doesn’t mean at all that “we” are doing so, depending on who you define as “we”.
(My attitude is slightly tainted right now having followed a truck home with a “Vote Rehberg to defend Gun Rights” bumper sticker. Dennis hasn’t done anything to “defend” gun rights except jabber about it at election time.)
March 30, 2011 at 3:08 pm
Touche’, Brother. I guess old habits die hard and as a ex-Republican, it is hard not to respond to blanket statements. I have a guy parked outside right now that has a bumper sticker for Rehberg saying that Rehberg will bring “sanity” back to government. Right….
March 30, 2011 at 5:13 pm
From reading this posting, ladybug, it appears that it is the Left that is hyperventalating, pointing fingers, calling people names, obsessing and attempting to distract people over a fairly innocuous ad campaign by a local businessman.
March 30, 2011 at 12:28 pm
I find it big to-do about nothing more than a clever and very effective advertising campaign. Hell, here in ol liberal Missoula our local Missoula County Democrats and candidates have given away several firearms as raffle prizes. And we out-shoot the local republicans at the range all the time. For western MT Dems gun control means a steady hand. For Repubs it’s a rallying cry to bring in the wackos. Not much more.
March 30, 2011 at 1:00 pm
For most people in Montana, gun control means a steady hand – the Dems do not have the patent on that. It is only a small majority of wackos that paint the pictures of gun toting militas waiting to launch a bloodly takeover of the government when they come to take their guns away. You lose points when you characterize all non-dems as wackos.
March 30, 2011 at 2:24 pm
Not characterizing all Repubs as wackos. I’ve got a whole family of nice intellegant Repubs. A lot of the far far right would rather not be involved in govt. or voting at all. So the Repubs start yelling gun control, gun control to get them off their lazy butts and vote. Sort of like Chump Edwards in HD 100 calling his opponent a Pelosi puppet wanting to take your gun away. It might have turned the necessary few who only respond to fantasy out to vote and presto, Chump is in the legislature
March 30, 2011 at 3:12 pm
No argument there, actually. I have a Friend, who is a fairly intellegent person, but he is a single issue voter. His single issue is guns and while I wouldn’t classify him as a “wacko”, he certainly makes some really poor choices when it comes to voting because of his focus.
March 30, 2011 at 1:02 pm
Sorry, that was suppose to read “a small but vocal minority of wackos”
I would also point out that while many Republicans characterize most Democrats and “gun stealing, anti-American hippies”, that characterization is just as false. I know many Democrats that shoot, own guns and have no problem with the idea of giving guns away as a promotion.
March 30, 2011 at 4:19 pm
Lyle Strand and his father ran Radio Shack in Havre for years and I am sure I am not the only one that hopes they have success in Hamilton. Enough so they will never be tempted to return. It is just too bad they didn’t take Rowlie,Wendy and Kris with em. I’m sure these nutcakes would feel at home in the onetime home of the John Birch Society’s printing press.