WTF-Florida truck dealership gives free AK-47s with every purchase

[malaise]

http://www.examiner.com/news-in-national/florida-truck-dealership-gives-free-ak-47s-with-every-purchase
<snip>
A truck dealership in Sanford, Florida is giving free AK-47 riffles with every truck purchase in honor of Veterans Day. Nick Ginetta, the manager of the dealership, will issue each customer a gun voucher for the “Shoot Straight” gun store in town. If you do not want the weapon, the company will give 400.00 dollars off the truck’s sale price.

The attention that the dealership is getting over the free AK-47s is increasing sales by so much that the offer may extend until the end of the year.

Not all veterans are appreciative. “I was shot 14 times by that rifle. It's a hell of a rifle. Kills a lot of people. They've got no business giving those rifles away," stated a man from the VFW to myFox Orlando. Another veteran told the Orlando Sentinel said he would rather they give away a free American flag that you can put in your lawn.
--------------------

[melm00se]

1. his business

his choice.

of course the voucher holder will have to compete form 4473 and pass the federal background check to actually obtain the weapon.

this is a win/win/win situation:

the dealer sells a truck
the gun shop sells a gun and probably some accessories to go with it
both dealers make money and so do their employees (commission) and they will in turn spend that money.

[Hannah Bell]

2. they're not "making" money. the money already exists.

and the reason free ak-47's are attractive -- to the dealer & his potential customers -- is?

florida?

florida is turning into a hellhole. i expect haiti's cholera will be coming next.

[peace frog]

18. Florida is *turning into* a hellhole?

It's been a raging inferno of a hellhole for a long time, Hannah. And now with teabaggers Rubio entering the Senate and Scott taking over the governorship, hell is going to get a lot hotter around these parts.

[Dr.Phool]

53. Our new nickname is "The Shoot Me State".

[spin]

58. Florida gun laws have served as a model to the rest of the country ...

from "shall issue" concealed carry to "stand your ground" many other states have followed Florida's example and passed pro-RKBA laws.

[DrDan]

19. yes . . . too bad the Florida is not as sane as the rest of the country

hmmm - rand paul, michelle bachmann, john boner, mitch, sarah, . . . . where does the list stop?

Certainly not at the Florida border.

[melm00se]

30. splitting meet hairs

OK, so there is an exchange preexisting monetary units amongst the participants and each is deriving a real or perceived value from their aspect of the transaction(s):

The auto dealer collects a profit from the transaction (the delta between their cost of goods and their retail price less any additional costs).

The salesperson collects preexisting monetary units (part of the above-mentioned "costs") in exchange for his skills in selling the vehicle in question.

The firearm dealer collects a profit in the transaction (the delta between their cost of goods and the value of the voucher less any additional costs) and collects additional profits from the exchange of accessories for said firearm for preexisting monetary units.

The salesperson collects preexisting monetary units (part of the above-mentioned "costs") in exchange for his skills in selling the weapon in question.

The new firearm and vehicle owner derives profit (some monetary and some in the form of the perceived value of owning a vehicle) in from the ownership of the vehicle.

And then this ripples back up the supply chains involved in the manufacturing, distribution, financing etc of the vehicle, the firearm and whatever industry for which the end customer of the firearm and truck exchanges his labor and skills.

finally, do you REALLY think that someone is going to buy a truck (prices ranging from in the $12K range to "how much you got") based upon the inclusion of a $400 item thrown into the deal?

However you want to couch it, there is $$$ in motion and $$$ in motion is required for an improving economy (on the micro or macro levels).

The real problem that folks have is that it is a GUN, if another product was substituted (say a grill or golf clubs or 50 pounds of prime cuts of meat) there wouldn't be a peep.

[wtmusic]

4. I guess if someone gets shot it's win/win/win/lose. nt

[malaise]

11. Precisely

:hi:

[melm00se]

31. and if someone

gets killed after being involved in a vehicular accident it's a win/win/lose, yes?

[Joe Fields]

44. Ah, but there's the difference.

Almost no one points an AK-47 at someone and shoots them "accidentally."

[cleanhippie]

68. Your idea is laughable on its face.

ARe you able to support you idea and statement with anything resembling a fact?

[proteus_lives]

3. Semi-auto clones, most likely.

I highly doubt they're getting actual AKs.

[Gaedel]

5. Yes, semi-auto "look-a-likes"

You can buy an imitation "Tommy gun" completely semi-auto if you have $1500.

Lots and lots of M16s out there in semi auto for wannabes.

[proteus_lives]

10. Yep, it's hilarious how people think these are real AKs.

[-..__...]

25. The media is no help....

when the accompanying picture for the article was taken in Afghanistan...
which they still manage to fuck-up because the firearm in the picture is
an RPK, not an AK-47).

[Joe Fields]

45. and that makes a difference, how?

[proteus_lives]

50. You don't know the difference between a copy and the real thing?

Like many different generic brands, they relay on surface similarity without the same performance or ability.

[fascisthunter]

49. it doesn't even matter what type of gun they are

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

75. I agree

who cares. People could take the cash instead of the rifle.
People (from another dealership) could take good savings and go buy the same gun.

It doesn't matter what the dealership does because they still give people a choice.

[old mark]

14. "Real" AK's are illegal to import or to own without a special Federal license,

and cost way more than $400...they are the toy semi-auto versions that are regularly imported into the US from Europe...


mark

[Erose999]

26. But can't those clones be converted into the real full-auto by just drilling a few holes and adding

some parts. Pretty sure there are plans for the parts on the internet and they are fairly easy to make.


Something like oh, I don't know.... this... perhaps.

http://www.angelfire.com/anime5/unclero/books/AK47_Full_Auto_Conversion_for_Dummies.pdf

[melm00se]

32. yes you can

just like you can convert pseudoephedrine into crystal meth...

but WAIT! there is a law against that just like there is a law against converting a semiautomatic firearm into a fully automatic firearm (automatic weapons are NFA class III weapons and require not only the blessing of the federal government but also that of your local chief law enforcement officer). Illegal possession of an automatic weapon (or violations of the NFA) carries significant penalties:

Violations of the Act are punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison and forfeiture of all devices or firearms in violation, and the individual's right to own or possess firearms in the future. The Act provides for a penalty of $10,000 for certain violations.<6> A willful attempt to evade or defeat a tax imposed by the Act is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $100,000 fine ($500,000 in the case of a corporation or trust), under the general tax evasion statute.<7> For an individual, the felony fine of $100,000 for tax evasion could be increased to $250,000.<8>

additionally, I willing to hazard a guess that more folks die from crystal meth usage than die from being shot with a fully automatic weapon.

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[slackmaster]

70. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "Great minds discuss ideas... Small minds discuss people."

:hi:

[jberryhill]

76. Cool, get me a pickup, the gun AND the meth!

...and I'm sure I can be elected governor somewhere.

[Xithras]

43. Almost any semi-auto rifle can be converted to full auto.

So can many handguns. You just need a machine shop and the skill to do it.

When I was a kid, my dad was messing around and converted my old Marlin .22 tube loader to fully automatic. A few parts of the receiver had worn, causing occasional unintended double-taps. During the process of repairing it, he converted it to fully auto just to see if it was possible. It required a drill, a couple of files, and about 30 minutes.

Of course, after "testing" his creation, he pulled it back apart and finished the repair by replacing the worn parts. That was a plinking rifle used by me and my sisters, and there was no way that he was going to let us have a full auto .22 (much to our disappointment at the time). He also didn't want to risk a visit from the feddies over a full-auto plinker!

[Vinnie From Indy]

6. Fuckin' A Bubba!

If I were the Chrysler dealer close by, I would offer a free RPG AND a Flame thrower with every purchase of a CHRYSLER truck! Then I would put ads out calling Ford dealers PUSSIES for only offering knock off AK's. God Bless America Motherfucker! Yeehaw!

[Dyler Turden]

7. +1

[malaise]

8. +1,000

Couldn't say it better

[TheCowsCameHome]

23. Maybe a competitor will offer vouchers for dentures....

or something really practical for their customers.

[Renew Deal]

27. lol

:rofl:

[Javaman]

36. Hell, I would include a gun mount in the bed! nt

[Joe Fields]

46. Thank god I wasn't drinking anything when I read your response!

Beeeyoootiful.
:toast:

[ngant17]

9. Patriot Act still applies

If this truck dealer supplies an assault rifle and this weapon was used in a terrorist crime, it would seem logical to charge car dealer with being an accessory to terrorism. Patriot Act would apply here. Auto dealer is obviously a rightwing Rethug who expects a double-standard when he/she violates the law.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

17. But he's not supplying asault rifles.

I have a feeling the article is mistaken. Furthermore... who the fuck buys a multi-thousand dollar vehicle to get a cheap rifle with the intention of using the gun to commit terrorist acts?!? Wouldn't just going out and buying a rifle be quicker and cheaper?

[ngant17]

41. maybe it's the same mentality of people who fly private planes into walls

like Joseph Stack who crashed his plane into IRS bldg this year. Or Daren Ramphal, who likely wanted to commit suicide with his employer's Cessna when he crashed it in Jacksonville, Fla. a few years ago.

With a vehicle, you can possibly crash it into a bldg. and maybe get a few shots inside a federal bldg.

Giving out (i.e., "supplying") assault rifles as a sales incentive is not a good marketing idea. Too much unnecessary legal risk.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

61. There are no assault rifles involved. I'm fairly certain the article was misleading/misinformed.

And there is literally no incentive for a terrorist to buy a multithousand dollar new vehicle because it comes with a gun just because he's planning on committing a crime.
What's so hard to comprehend?

It's just a regular old incentive designed to get free publicity - and it's working VERY well.
I don't have a problem with it. People can opt out of the rifle voucher to receive $400.

[Kaleva]

54. There's a difference between an assault rifle and a so-called assault weapon

[One_Life_To_Give]

12. AK?? Should be a Browning

Why for Veterans day is he giving away, clones?, of the most common weapon our vets faced in the last 40yrs? If you want an American symbol. How about a Clone of an M-2 Cal 50, Semi and chambered for a rifle cartridge.

[gejohnston]

39. maybe because

He is really a closet communist? Why else would he be giving away a commie gun?

[aikoaiko]

13. Just another incentive gimmick and publicity seeking marketing ploy

And apparently Malaise is helping by spreading the word.

Its very likely that this "AK-47" is actually a semi-automatic rifle made on an American receiver. It is most likely not the same automatic fire rifle that the veteran faced in war. The truck buyer will still have to go through a background check once he/she tries to buy the rifle.

Having said that, I would have recommended giving away an AR. :)

[BlackhawkPaul]

15. Knockoff fake Ak's are sales promo scam

These are NOT real AK-47's. REAL Class 3 NFA AK's cost $15,000 for junkers and more for decent ones. these are knock offs. There is an elaborate BATFE background registration procedure to be able to purchase a real AK and the numbers thereof were locked in and fixed in 1986. Please see subguns.com if you want to really learn about AK's. This is just a sales stunt by the dealer and he would have gotten as big a splash if he gave away sex toys. The dealer is using publicized innuendos re AK's as a sales tools to lure in the uninformed.

[aikoaiko]

24. Welcome to DU.

:hi:

[melm00se]

33. welcome to DU

and someone with a knowledge regarding the possession of firearms.

refreshing

[spin]

57. You might enjoy the guns forum.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=118

Welcome aboard.

[marmar]

16. Good grief. This country has become a parody of itself.

nt

[TheCowsCameHome]

20. All right! Can any driver come in and take one for a test?

Oh yeah, I might even consider taking a quick ride in that fuckin' stupid truck of theirs, too.

Yeeeeeeeaaaaaaaa-Hooooooooooooooo!

[Ian David]

21. America-hating bastard can't give away an AMERICAN assault rifle? n/t

[doc03]

22. The AK is fine but just give me the $400 and not bullshit

about a free AK, it ain't free.

[-..__...]

28. I have enough AK's...

it's ammo I could use.

I wonder if the owner of the "Shoot Straight" gun shop would be open to any trade offers?

[surrealAmerican]

29. I wonder how much he's making on the ...

... gun racks for these trucks.

[watercolors]

34. Welcome to the "Banana Republic "

or third world country, either way I am so dissapointed with my state. We've been here 50 yrs, so proud to have been part of history in the making with space program. We felt like we were ln paradise. So much has changed, no longer feeling proud.

[spin]

51. Firearms have always been very common in Florida ...

I've lived here for 41 years, mainly on the Gulf Coast. I remember several co-workers with handguns in their cars when I first hired on to a company in 1970. When I retired a large majority of my co-workers owned firearms. Many were hunters but also a large number had concealed weapons permits.

And I was working for a large electronics manufacturer working on very advanced equipment for many aircraft, missile and rocket programs including the Space Shuttle.

I moved to Florida after growing up near Cleveland Ohio. To me, Florida is still paradise.

[Evasporque]

35. NIce...give away a rifle that has killed tens of thousands of US soldiers...

Ranks right up there with throwing live turkeys out of a helecopter...

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

37. As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly

WKRP in Cincinnati, one of the great moments in television.

:hi:

[ileus]

38. At least give away M4orgery's and not cheap commie cal's

300 more bucks and you can pick up a Stag M4 copy...

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

65. Soemthing tells me that foreign armies aren't shooting crappy semiauto WASRs.

Just like nobody in our armed forces uses AR-15 rifles instead of M16 rifles.

[beevul]

67. Except you are wrong.

The rifles being "given away" is, and was, never in any way responsible for killing tens of thousahds of soldiers.

[NickB79]

40. It's a voucher for $400 off at a local gun shop. You don't have to buy an AK

You could buy a deer rifle, a shotgun for duck hunting, a few thousand rounds of ammo for target practice with your current guns, other hunting gear, etc.

Places in rural areas have done this forever. The local Polaris snowmobile and ATV store in my hometown would often advertise like this.

Besides, the gun store by law has to do a background check. Anyone not eligible won't be getting a gun.

[GSLevel9]

42. just a gimmick to make the news and draw

2nd amendment supporters in to buy a car/truck.

[fascisthunter]

48. getting right wingers ready to rebel

at least in their little heads.

[Not Kung-fu fighting]

52. Happy Meals for adults...

...or simulation adults, anyway.

First post. Was there someplace I was supposed to post to first, ie an introduction forum? Couldn't find one.

[spin]

56. Welcome to DU ...

I started posting just like you did. Warning, it can become addictive.

[Kaleva]

55. A real AK-47 costs about $20,000.00

And they are very hard to find here in the US as importation of such weapons was outlawed by the Gun Control Act of 1968 and the Hughes Amendment banned a civilian from ownership or transfer rights of any fully automatic weapon, such as an AK-47, which was not registered as of May 19, 1986. The Hughes Amendment effectively outlawed domestic production of AK-47s.

Unrecced.

[derby378]

64. Actually, I've seen a full-auto AK in sale here in Dallas for $5,000

Not the numbers you've been quoting, but maybe it's supply and demand. This is Dallas I'm talking about.

And the gun itself could be a fixer-upper. I don't know; I never handled it. But here you can get a full-auto Uzi in decent condition for about $7,000 plus the $200 NFA tax stamp.

[Kaleva]

72. Here's a site that offers one for just under $17,000.00

http://www.westernfirearms.com/wfc/ak47?sz=800x600

When this subject ( the cost of a selective fire AK-47) has come up before, I spent much time trying to find class III dealers on line who had AK-47s for sale. The guns are rare and very expensive. I don't doubt you saw one for 5k but I would be very hesitiant about purchasing it as the going rate for a AK-47 in good condition is three to four times that amount.

[Quantess]

59. Outrageous.

[derby378]

62. That does it, I'm off to Sanford

You want one of these, maybe I'll see you on the road! :hi:

[nadinbrzezinski]

63. AK -47s? I doubt it

Clones.

That said a bank was doing that in Colorado (Bowling for Columbine)

Nothing surprises me anymore.

[cleanhippie]

66. "I was shot 14 times by that rifle" - No you weren't.

You were shot by a similar rifle, held by a member of an opposing force. You were not shot by any rifle being given away.

[Quantess]

71. Sure, but he's understandably emotional about it anyway.

[cleanhippie]

77. I agree, but being emotional does not make one right.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

73. Fake or not, I find this to be in bad taste.

Yes, I know, bad taste is legal. But that doesn't make the bad taste good.

[slackmaster]

74. Taste is mostly in the eye of the beholder. I find it entertaining.

The outrage, the free publicity, the irrational fear and hatred all make me laugh.