Protect this house!
Roofing companies in at least two states have adopted a bizarre marketing campaign in which customers who buy a roof get a free semi-automatic weapon as a bonus.
Digital Roofing Innovations in Decatur, Alabama, is the latest to offer the special. The company released a campy, over-the-top ad on July 4 ― complete with short shorts, beers, and gunfire ― promising an AR-15 to anyone who orders a roofing job.
Co-owner Zach Blenkinsopp, the scantily-clad star of the ad, promises it’s not a gimmick.
“You’re gonna get you a free AR-15 rifle after we complete the roof. How’s that sound?” he says. “Donald Trump says, make America great again, I say, make America gun again.”
The company likely drew inspiration from a similar Denver-area campaign by Weatherproof Roofing & Exteriors in Colorado, which made headlines in May with its offer of an AR-15, a handgun, a “self-defense shotgun” or a $500 gift certificate to Cabela’s.
Both companies offer a voucher for a gun after the customer passes a background check. It’s all completely legal.
Blenkinsopp, a self-proclaimed Navy veteran, told local WHNT that he wasn’t trying to make social commentary about the gun violence problem in America. Weatherproof’s ad is a bit more political, however, stating on its website, “You’re a true patriot who believes that gun ownership isn’t just your right, it’s to protect citizens like you against the infringement on your God-given rights.”
Still, the issue is polarizing. As we’ve reported, lawmakers are still split on whether a more weaponized populace is the answer to gun violence, even after a gunman shot a member of Congress and four other people at baseball practice in the northern Virginia in June. HuffPost’s Nick Wing argues that more guns are not the answer.
Regardless, it’s as easy as ever to get your hands on a semi-automatic gun. Shortly after the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando last year, it took us just 38 minutes to buy our own AR-15 ― a process that was delayed only because people were flocking to buy them after the shooting, a phenomenon that always happens after mass shootings.
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