Guns, Hummers, and Pickup Trucks

There are a lot of stereotypes surrounding pickup truck and SUV owners – stereotypes that many Toyota Tundra owners have had to fight long and hard against when explaining their particular choice of vehicle to friends or family who just don’t understand that a truck can actually embody a high level of technology in its design.

Unfortunately, from time to time the media gets a hold of a particular story that serves to stir up the pot and reinforce a lot of commonly-held attitudes about trucks and the people who drive them. For example:

Get a free gun when you buy a car from this guy.

During the summer this year and last, a Missouri auto dealer promised free guns along with every pickup truck sold. Of course, lucky buyers didn’t just get any old gun – they got a gift certificate redeemable for a trusty AK-47 assault rifle, an inspired touch which might not have moved all that much steel from the lot but which certainly put the dealership in question in the spotlight during a tough period for anyone selling cars.

Yes, a lot of truck owners love to hunt. Yes, a percentage of truck owners definitely do collect guns. But that doesn’t mean that a truck owner is some sort of “gun-toting maniac” who keeps a piece on them at all times “just in case.” As truck owners, we know and understand what it’s like to own a powerful, utilitarian device. It’s probably not a stretch to say that most truck owners have a certain amount of respect for gun owners, but if you watch the news when this sort of thing happens, you realize there are a LOT of people who think guns and trucks are indicators of some sort of lack of intelligence.

Regardless of how you feel about gun ownership, you have to acknowledge these stereotypes don’t help anyone.

By a gun and a Hummer SUV at the same place. Image from GunsandHummers.com.

It seems that another dealership – coincidentally also in Missouri – has latched on to the idea that guns = publicity = possible sales. Lynch Hummer, which claims to be the largest dealer of these plus-size SUV’s in the world, is making the best out of a recent downsizing effort by devoting a significant amount of floor space to gun sales.

Naming the new venture “Action Shooting Sports,” those who step into the facility’s showroom are now treated to a herd of SUV’s on one side and a literal wall of guns on the other. The dealership, which also sells a line of “Adventure” accessories for Hummers of all shapes and sizes, claims that they aren’t courting sensationalism. Rather, they’re simply doing what they need to do to make ends meet in a car market that suddenly cares very little about gigantic off-road vehicles. So be it – far be it for anyone to argue with success.

Needless to say, General Motors was not amused when they were alerted to their franchise’s creative marketing attempt, but given the volatile relationship between GM and their current business partners it would seem that there’s little they can do either way regarding the situation.

We can only hope that Toyota doesn’t make some misguided attempt to cash in on this craze by forcing all of their Missouri dealerships to give away some kind of weapon with every Tundra sold. Of course, if it were a high-tech device – to match the Tundra’s design, of course – then it probably wouldn’t be so bad. After all, who wouldn’t mind driving off the lot with some kind of small laser gun on the seat beside them? It would be pretty handy at vaporizing any tailgating Hummers you might come across. The vehicular arms race begins!

NOTE: There’s no intent to discuss the political aspects of gun ownership here – if our article came across as either “pro” or “anti” gun, it was an error.

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