A Florida roofing company is offering a special for anyone pulling the trigger over Thanksgiving — a free turkey and AR-15 assault rifle.
“The turkey will get you all sitting at the table so you can spend time together. The roof will protect your home, and the AR-15 will protect your family,” Jason Polly, president of Roof EZ in Cape Coral, told WESH.
Polly said he got the birdbrained idea after seeing a business offer the same deal in Alabama.
“I figured, hey, we’re in Florida. This is the most Florida thing you can do. Let’s do it,” he told the outlet about the “Roof and Gobble” special.
“Everybody needs an AR-15,” Polly told the outlet. “The world’s a crazy place right now, and they can get a roof and an AR-15 for protection on both ends, why not?”
But not everyone will be able to get a bang for their buck.
Polly said customers who want the special may not have any felonies and must undergo a background check.
Once they pass it, they can pick up their gun from local arms dealer Shoot Center, he explained, adding that several customers had already signed up for the special.
The special gained traction in social media, where it also ruffled some feathers.
Patti Brigham, president of Prevent Gun Violence Florida, shot it down.
“Why would a business want to give away AR-15s? To those getting a new roof? What is the purpose of that? It is a destructive thing to do. That business is just adding to a culture of gun violence. The AR-15 is the choice of mass shooters,” she told WINK.
Brigham pointed out that more than 600 people have been killed in mass shootings in the US so far this year.
“Support American family values by adding more AR-15s weapons of war into the public stream. I mean, that is not a family value at all. Family values are about love and acceptance, and forgiveness, not arming the public even further with these military-style firearms. It’s sick,” she told the outlet.
Resident James Robertson told WESH he thought it was a “good idea,” adding: “You wanna tickle my fancy? Give me a $20,000 boat for my $20,000 roof.”
And for customers who do not want the gun, Polly said Roof EZ will give them $500 off their purchase — the price of an AR-15.