Radio Shack Gun Giveaway

Montana Store Offers Free Firearm With Dish Network Purchase 

First Posted: 03/27/11 12:19 AM

The Radio Shack store in Hamilton, Montana knows how to get customers' attention.

Since October, the franchise has been offering free guns to anyone who purchases Dish Network. And the promotion has been wildly successful--proprietor Steve Strand says business has tripled since its inception.

"I think it really, really fits the Bitterroot Valley," he told Montana's Ravalli Republic.

Before claiming their firearm, customers much undergo a background check. They are then given a gift certificate to Frontier Guns & Ammo, a nearby gun supply store. Those who don't qualify or prefer to opt-out of the giveaway receive a $50 coupon to Pizza Hut.

A sign outside the store proclaims, "Protect yourself with the Dish Network. Sign up now, get a free gun."

According to Strand, hundreds have come into his shop because of the advertisement, and store manager Fabian Levy told the Republic that people stop by just to take pictures of the sign.

The promotion comes amidst increased scrutiny of America's firearm industry. In the wake of the shooting massacre that rocked Arizona in January, a new poll shows key states support strengthening our country's background-check system for gun purchases. Recently, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg launched a nationwide gun control campaign.

Meanwhile, Strand claims his offer has been nothing less than successful. "We've received a tremendous amount of positive reactions," he told the Republic, noting that only one person has complained in the six months since he launched the campaign.