KANSAS CITY, Mo., May 22 - A Missouri car dealer has a message for Democratic presidential frontrunner Barack Obama: Midwesterners love their guns.
Mark Muller, the owner of Max Motors in Butler, Missouri south of Kansas City, on Thursday said sales have soared at his auto and truck business since launching a promotion this week that promises buyers a $250 credit for a handgun or a $250 gas card with every purchase.
Every buyer so far “except one guy from Canada and one old guy” has elected to take the gun, Muller said in an interview with Reuters. He recommends his customers select a Kel-Tec .380 pistol.
“It’s a nice little handgun that fits in your pocket,” he said.
Muller said he came up with the promotion after stewing over comments made last month by Obama at a fundraiser for his presidential campaign in San Francisco. The Illinois senator, who narrowly defeated Democratic rival Sen. Hillary Clinton in Missouri’s primary, said that small-town Americans bitter over hard economic times sometimes “cling to guns and religion.”
“We did it because of Barack Obama. He said all those people in the Midwest, you’ve got to have compassion for them because they’re clinging to their guns and their Bibles. I found that quite offensive,” said Muller.
“We all go to church on Sunday and we all carry guns,” Muller said in the interview. “I’ve got a gun in my pocket right now. I have a rifle in my truck. We’ve got to shoot the coyotes out here, they’re attacking our cows, our chickens. We’re not clinging to nothing. We’re just damn glad to live in a free country where you can have a gun if you want. This is the way it ought to be.”
Muller said the dealership, which has as its logo a grimacing cowboy wielding a pistol, has sold more than 30 cars and trucks in the last three days, far more than its normal volume. Phone calls and inquiries on car purchases from people around the country have poured in, Muller said.
He’s also had six protesters show up outside his business.
There may be more on the way because Muller said his next promotion is going to be a King James Bible for any car-buying Muslim.
Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage.
- Photo credit: Reuters/John Gress (Obama speaks to supporters in Iowa); Max Motors (Mark Muller)
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This is one of the reasons that I have never, nor ever will visit your country unless your gun laws are changed, plus the fact your Government allows the death penalty, puts you on the same level as certain 3rd world countries that are too numerous to mention. It doesn’t say much for your “American way of life” If you have to carry guns to feel protected. Isn’t that what a police force is for?
- Posted by PABelshawHi guys im 14 and all I would like to say is this:
The gun-haters start with the basic premise that guns are bad. You shouldn’t have them in your house because they’re dangerous, they say. I should let you know right from the start that handguns are used for protection against criminals in America nearly 2 million times per year. That’s up to five times more often than they’re used to commit crimes and nearly 128 times the total number of murders in the United States. Those stats alone are good enough to blow any anti-gun argument out of the water, but there’s more. According to the National Crime Victimization Surveys, people who use guns to defend themselves are less likely to be attacked or injured than people who use other methods of protection or don’t defend themselves at all.
Does that about sum it up for you thank you for your time.
- Posted by JeffAs a mid-west business owner who just received in the mail my RIGHT TO CARRY license. I believe that in these economic times that gun vs gas is a no brainer. You can get gas anywhere anytime, but you have to submit your drivers license, ss#, & two other forms of id & have a background check before receiving your right to carry license. I live outside one of the 10 cities in the U.S. that has the worst crime rate anywhere. These crimes are generally due to lack of education for kids & adults who expect to receive something for nothing or have a chip on their shoulder because they didn’t get it for free.
- Posted by air&water“small-town Americans bitter over hard economic times sometimes “cling to guns and religion.”
Every time I hear something else that Obama spews, I taste bile. This blowhard evidently doesn’t know who he is asking to pay his salary…
My religion and my guns have NOTHING to do with hard economic times… The fact that I pay WAY too much in taxes has a lot to do with it, though… I’m not bitter about economic CYCLES… I work hard, I pay my taxes, I provide for my family, I teach my children values, I try to save for a rainy day… and GUARANTEE that we’ll be looking forward to 4 years of rainy days if he is elected (OR Hillary, for that matter)… and We’ll likely be spending more of our rainy day fund on guns and ammo…
We’re in need of a new car… If anyone knows of a dealership in Colorado r surrounding states offering this deal - Have cash, will travel!
- Posted by MickiOnce again law-abiding Americans demonstrate their affinity to self-defense, freedom, economic success and personal responsibility and the anti-gun crowd runs over itself to demonstrate their ignorance on the issue of guns, gun control and crime.
The overwhelming empircal data clearly show that more guns in the hands of the good people leades to lower rates of violent crime. This has been demonstrated by studies at the University of Chicago, Florida State University, The National Science Foundation and the Centers for Disease Control.
When will the gun-control advocates abandon their hysteria and start facing the facts?
- Posted by RealityCheckTravis, as an Indian, AND a Native American, I assure you we managed killing quite well in the LONG history of this country before white folks brought the gun. When the Whites had the guns and the Indians did not, we were indeed “less free”. Now we are armed and equal. Unlike the native peoples of certain other countries. And my professors were not “ALLOWED to teach”. They were before your PC and Speech Codes. They taught what they knew and could demonstrate by the historical record. It is called Free Speech, guarantied by the 1st Amendment and protected by the 2nd.
- Posted by dlynGuns are not at all necessary for genocide and mass murder, or have you not noticed Africa lately?
As for the French, yes they helped when we needed it, and we returned the favor in a little incident you may have heard of called WW II. But NEITHER one would have been won without the American proficiency with firearms.
Oh Travis–so many errors, so little time. Since I must go let me just take the easy one. You DO NOT have to have a license to own a car. Only to operate one on the public roads.
- Posted by dlynCriminals commit crimes! Law biding citizens DO NOT, whether they have a gun or not…if they did, they would be criminals!
Punish the criminals not the law biding citizens!
BTW, UK posters, how’s your crime rate going since you outlawed handguns?????? It’s skyrocketing!
Criminals buy guns (and drugs) illegally and that will never change! Drugs are illegal and anyone can purchase them in less than an hour!
- Posted by StephenI haven’t seen so much hyperbole in one spot in about 4 hours! Good thing I discovered this blog. My hyperbole tanks were getting low.
Really, what do they teach people in schools? They are seriously allowed to teach people that we are independent because we were allowed to carry guns? How about we’re independent because we convinced the French navy to intervene on our behalf?
Guns have been more of a contributing force to everything terrible on this countries short history. From the partial genocide of native Americans, to Political assassination, to prolific mass murderers.
How owning a gun ever got linked to ‘freedom’ is beyond me. Owning a gun makes you no more free than anyone who doesn’t own one, and while in theory the right to own and carry is a ‘freedom’ it does not enhance your freedoms as people make it out.
Guns should be like cars. You should need a license to own one. Both are fairly similar in that they are deadly in the hands of a fool, yet we see no problem in selling guns to fools?
- Posted by TravisAll of you proud gun bearing Americans, if you really believe what you’re saying, check out the”Appleseed” program at RWVA.com. Try it out, you’ll have a blast.
- Posted by Loves2hunt59Good for you !
- Posted by William MathesonKeep up the spirit of FREEDOM.
Guns are not the problem, but liberals dont want to face ralities. they will give up rights for “feel good” laws. In the end they use it to say they did something when re election coms around. Lets lok at DC to see how well gun bans work.
- Posted by LarryI dont need a gun for protection, I want one because i live in a free country.
I have to shake my head and wonder if the truth is ever recognized. It doesn’t matter what religion a person choses to follow. Idolitry is one of the things that will hurt the believer and everyone else in the country. Like it or not, inaminate objects should have utterly no power over thinking, intelligent people. A gun is only a tool, like a hoe, shovel, ax, drill, etc. It is the person who determines how they will use the tools that they have. People do not become maniacle killers because they have garden tools, or a firearm in their possesion. People who make up 99% of our great country will not hurt anyone else unless they need to protect their families or property. If all of these folks [who want to and are qualified] were carring firearms, our society would be the most polite society in the world. Crime would become non-existant, and the murder rate would drop toless than 1%. One of our forefathers stated that if one and all would obey the laws and tenants in the Bible,[whether a Christian or not] our land, country, world, would become an even better place to live and work![Obviously, I paraphrased.]
- Posted by Carl LarsonJeff, here is a link to a good article that discusses things oldcorps and I mentioned and much more.
http://www.nraila.org/media/misc/lostrts .html
- Posted by dlyn