Not the Onion: WVa giving away guns as covid vax incentive.

[Tanuki]

https://www.insideedition.com/west-virginia-is-giving-away-guns-as-part-of-the-states-vaccination-effort-67345?amp&__twitter_impression=true

"The guns are an incentive among other things, like pickup trucks and scholarships.

While some states have been giving away millions of dollars as an incentive for people to get vaccinated, West Virginia is giving away guns. The lottery was announced Tuesday by Gov. Jim Justice, and the drawing will run from June 20 to August 4.

The guns are just one of many prizes the state is giving away.

On June 20, the state will give away five custom hunting rifles and five custom hunting shotguns. Also included in the lottery will be two brand-new, custom outfitted trucks, five lifetime hunting and fishing licenses, and getaways to West Virginia’s state parks. One person will win a $1.588 million grand prize, and two people up to age 25 will win college scholarships."...(more)

[Botany]

1. If you travel in WV and have out of state plates ....

... they will stop you and search your vehicle for guns and if you don't have any they will give some.

[SoonerPride]

8. Hahahaha

Well
Played.

[Aristus]

2. It's the only way to rouse the hillbillies out of their Snuffy Smith lethargy.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

7. Nice stereotyping.

This is from someone who takes the time to read and appreciate your posts.

Please give it some thought.

Thank you.

[Aristus]

9. I just don't understand incentivizing immunization.

"This could save your life. Please get your vaccine soon." just doesn't do it for some people. Sore subject. Even for those who aren't medical providers. My only incentive when encouraging my patients to get their vaccines is "Do this, and save your life and those of your loved ones." It never even occurred to me to offer them guns in return.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

10. My view is that you do what it takes. NT

[Quoph]

3. More of this rewarding procrastinators stuff, I see

I wonder how many procrastinators this will encourage to procrastinate even longer, since they’ll figure there will be a $10 million (as opposed to $1 million) lottery on the last weekend for the very last people to get vaccinated.

[Ocelot II]

4. They should be giving away more scholarships and fewer guns and pickup trucks.

[Deuxcents]

14. Agree

[smirkymonkey]

5. This country is so fucked.

I honestly don't know how much more I can take. I feel like the reality that is being presented by the media is so bizarre and foreign to me, my psyche hasn't been able to adjust to the rapid, negative change and I feel like I'm experiencing a kind of psychological vertigo.

I used to feel like I wanted to live to a ripe old age. Not anymore. This world is turning into a place that just scares the hell out of me on so many levels.

[Deuxcents]

11. Agree

Just today, my friend, who is 80, and I were talking about the state of affairs. She’s a good democrat and we’re both just trying to make sense... never did we think we’d be in this mess.

[llmart]

24. Couldn't have said it better.

My remaining siblings and I are all over 70 and we constantly say how glad we are that we're not going to be around as this country circles down the drain.

You couldn't pay me enough to live in West Virginia. Those people keep voting against their own self-interest and it never ends.

[smirkymonkey]

26. I hate to be so negative, but it's just the first time in my life where I really think that things

are going to continue to get worse and stay that way for a long time. I could possibly have another 30 years left or more, but I have to say, I am glad that I am closer to the end of my life than the beginning.

I worry about my nieces and nephews. What kind of world will they inherit? The older ones are just starting to go to college. Who knows what their prospects will be by the time they get out? I fear that they are going to have it much harder than those of us who came before them.

[NJCher]

6. this is embarrassing

I know, Biden said it first.

But it bears saying again.

After hearing Ben Rhodes on Rachel last night, I don't know how we can even think of ourselves as an example for how to run a democracy.

[Paladin]

12. "Custom hunting rifles"

Will be interesting to see just what sort of firearm is involved. Given the sad times we live in, I would think an AK-47 assault rifle would get a lot more attention than a for-real hunting rifle, like a Winchester Model 70. We shall see....

[MarineCombatEngineer]

15. You really thing that W. Va. is going to give away an AK-47?

You do know that the 1986 GCA banned those, along with every other new, select fire firearms from the public?

Maybe do a little research before trying to give false info.

[LiberatedUSA]

19. I believe they refer to that as the...

...Rule Of cool.

If it doesn’t look cool, it just ain’t worth shoot’n.

[Paladin]

20. Like I said, we live in sad times. (nt)

[soothsayer]

13. Whatever works

[Wicked Blue]

17. They ought to try giving out brains nt

[MarineCombatEngineer]

18. Yeah, but these repigs would think they said trains

and would reply with "no thanks, I'll just walk".

[ecstatic]

21. Gun violence is dangerous too. Why exchange one danger for another?

[EX500rider]

23. Hunting rifles are used in almost no shootings.

Last edited Thu Jun 3, 2021, 01:05 AM - Edit history (1)

All rifles of which hunting rifles are a subset are only used in around 350 homicides a year and I bet most of those will be semi-auto type rifles with detachable magazines ie "assault rifles"
Shotguns are used even less. More people are killed by blunt objects or hands and feet or knives.
Handguns are used in 6,000 to 9,000.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/195325/murder-victims-in-the-us-by-weapon-used/

[tanyev]

22. Can't have those vaccines reducing the death rate too low!

[krispos42]

25. So they're giving away a variety of popular items to get people to vaccinate?

And the winners of the guns will have to go through the usual federal background check and whatever state laws are in place.

This is a big yawn to most of the country. Hell, I bought tickets to a gun raffle to raise money for a local volunteer fire department when I lived in Minnesota. Like any other raffle, you're convincing 100 people to contribute a total of $1,000 in hopes of winning a $500 item.