Gun ad offends me

If I happened to be a gun owner or a person considering gun ownership, I would expect to go online to research and purchase my weapon of choice. What I would not expect to do, if considering purchasing a gun, is to pick up my Wednesday copy of The Dominion Post and find a two-page spread from the ‘‘world’s largest gunstore’’.

What is a reader supposed to think? Oh that’s right, ‘‘I’m getting low on guns – must rush off down to Gun City to stock up.’’

From the little I know about guns, many of those featured in this ad would be hopeless in the New Zealand bush, or as a necessary part of a farmer’s equipment, because they appear to be semiautomatic assault-style weapons – for example, The American Tactical AR15 or the Ranger AK47 7.62x32 A-CAT or the 716 SIG Sauer 308 Flat Dark Earth. Good grief, who buys these wretched things? In simplistic terms, my worry is that these guns will inevitably fall into the wrong hands.

I am offended by this doublespread ad and do not want my newspaper earning revenue by featuring it. I fully appreciate the need for print media to earn needed revenue through advertising and even put up with faux front page ads – but surely there is a moral line you can’t step over.

I doubt you would feature a double-spread ad on sex toys – this gun ad seems just as inappropriate. Denis Wright, Raumati South [abridged] Editor’s note: Guns are an emotive issue, but the overwhelming majority of owners are vetted and licensed for sport, recreation and pest control reasons. Advertisers are subject to strict terms and conditions. Gun City is a legal, tax-paying business, and entitled to advertise.