Photo courtesy of Walter White, Carolina Ford.
In a month-long promotion called “God, Guns, and America,” Carolina Ford in Honea Path, S.C., offered a Bible, U.S. flag, and voucher good for a Smith & Wesson AR-15 with any vehicle purchase in October.
A Ford Motor Co. spokesperson told news media that they would not try to stop the promotion, as dealerships are considered independent businesses. He also told reporters that the company had not stopped similar promotions previously, though one dealership reported otherwise.
Walter White, a sales manager at Carolina Ford, said the promotion did very well, without giving further sales specifics, in a phone interview with America’s 1st Freedom. “Plus, so many people called and emailed and said they wished they were closer so they could do business with us,” White said. He noted that some people traveled long distances to participate, including one man who flew across the country from Washington state.
The AR-15 voucher, which could also be used for other products, required buyers to undergo a background check at a local store.
“We got negative feedback, too, from people who thought we were handing out AR-15s right here,” White said. “Some people even threatened us, saying they’d drive their car through the dealership and stuff like that.”
But White welcomed the opportunity to talk with those who might disagree with the promotion: “One of the most memorable conversations I had was with a gentleman who asked me if one of these AR-15s was used in a mass shooting, how would I feel about it? I told him that, of course, I wish that wouldn’t happen to anybody, ever. We talked back and forth about it, then he called back to thank me, and I thanked him. At the end of the conversation, we understood each other better, and that was my main goal.”
In recent months, other car dealerships throughout the United States have offered similar firearm and vehicle promotions to show their support for the Second Amendment.
A few months ago, a Ford dealership in Ala., stopped its promotion for “God, Guns, and Freedom” after Ford Motor Co. reportedly issued a statement requesting the business refrain from the gun giveaway. Chatom Ford had created the promotion to coincide with July 4 but had to abandon its plan to give away a 12-gauge shotgun, and American flag and a King James Bible.
Then Chatom Ford released a statement saying, “We were running a promotion celebrating this country’s independence. [Ford Motor Co.] manufacture(s) the products we are franchised to sell, so we are complying with their request.”
In another example of pro-Second Amendment support, Gregg Orr Extreme Chevrolet in Texarkana, Texas, gave away an Armsco PAS 12-gauge shotgun with the purchase of every vehicle throughout most of September to celebrate the start of multiple hunting seasons.
