Why all the PR? The Duck Dynasty guys are selling their line of guns now.

[NightWatcher]

So now when you go to get everything else from walmart that is plastered with those stoopid beards (from floor mats to band aids), you can pick up a shotgun, rifle or .22 cal handgun that's got those stoopid guy's faces brand all over it. I wonder how long before Chick Fil A starts carrying duck. The guns will also come with an Amurican flag bandana just like Uncle Willie wears.

http://money.cnn.com/2014/01/02/news/companies/duck-dynasty-guns/

The gunmaker Mossberg has teamed with Duck Commander, the company owned by "Duck Dynasty's" Robertson clan, to release nine different shotguns, as well as two semiautomatic rifles and a semiautomatic pistol.

Mossberg has begun shipping some of the shotguns to distributors, according to spokeswoman Linda Powell. She declined to name specific retailers that will carry them.

Duck Commander was founded 40 years ago by Phil Robertson, the family patriarch who was recently suspended -- and then reinstated -- by A&E after making controversial remarks about gay people and African-Americans. He and his sons are featured prominently in four video ads for the new guns on Mossberg's web site. Phil narrates one of the spots saying, "Do you know what makes me happy ladies and gentlemen? To blow a mallard drake's head smooth off."

[Nuclear Unicorn]

1. To be fair, I don't think GLAAD and A&E are part of some plot to sell shotguns. n/t

[NightWatcher]

4. the duck killers said something radical knowing there'd be a backlash

You can predict a response from A&E when you say something that's nuts.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

10. It was a question put forth by GQ during an interview.

I also doubt GQ is in on the conspiracy -- assuming there is one.

[NightWatcher]

12. So it's completely random that they got all this free press

right before negotiating a new contract and launching a line of firearms?

I guess it was right place right time serendipity then.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

16. GQ asked the question. GLAAD reacted to the answer. A&E reacted to the public.

Do you really think Robertson -- who gave an answer that is apparently consistent with his professed beliefs -- really conjured this entire series of events to manipulate GQ, GLAAD and A&E to do his bidding?

Doesn't the fact that they already have umpteen million lines of merchandise with more appearing every day make the CT aspect kinda -- well -- lame?

[Savannahmann]

18. Predictable Behavior

Let's be honest for a moment. GQ is a magazine that sees most of its sales not in rural, or even suburban areas, but in urban environs. So the political ideals and principles of the urbanites is going to be reflected by the magazine, in an effort to sell more of them to their customer base, or at least keep the subscribers that they now have.

Predictable behavior. The chances of a urban reporter sitting down in front of a camouflage wearing bearded bible thumping pro hunting idiot and not asking a question about gay rights in the current political atmosphere with court decisions coming down in favor of gay rights every month is just short of 100%.

Right before the GQ story broke, there was a news flash that Phil of the Duck Doofus gang had blown off an interview with Barbara Walters to go hunting. So sitting down and having a heart to heart with a reporter is not on his list of important things to do.

So now we get to the interview. Phil is a College Grad with a teaching certificate. He is not despite his appearance, an idiot. He may be bigoted and sexist but he's not stupid. So Phil could easily drop a hint or two that Gay rights was something he wanted to talk about, and let the Reporter do the rest. The reporter asks, and Phil gets to answer.

So what happens? What always happens? When someone makes a homophobic statement the GLAAD and usual folks all start the same chants. Their answers are about as canned as Phil's. Chick Fil A showed that you could buck the "Gay Lobby" and win more business. So Phil bucks the "Gay Lobby and gets to sell shotguns. A&E is powerless to prevent this, and wins more viewers, higher ratings, and more advertising dollars. GLAAD is the laughingstock of the RW, who now points to this group with their admirable agenda, and proclaims them in essence dead.

GLAAD played their part, and they were played. Duck Doofus is still on the air, and was on the air in marathon multiple episode plays while this was going on. Their next "new" show is in about two weeks, and I'll bet you a dollar it is a highly rated one. Christian Leaders are now making it a duty of the Christians to support Phil and the Duck Doofus gang. Homophobes are buying Duck Doofus stuff by the ton.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. We should have acted like Phil was a nobody, and didn't matter. Imagine the news cycle if GLAAD had said something like this. "Phil who? What show? Seriously, there is a show called Duck Dynasty? What is it about? Wait, someone put that on the air, and people watch it?"

The story would have ended in a day. GLAAD would not have lost prestige, Duck Doofus wouldn't have gotten weeks worth of free publicity, and their products would still be sitting on the shelf largely unsold. Our side may be the morally right one, but if there is a winner, it's not us.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

19. "He may be bigoted and sexist but he's not stupid."

If you're theory is even close to correct then he may be more manipulative than bigoted and it kinda makes GLAAD and everybody else that registered their protest look like big tools. To me that would unwittingly seem to say people ought to hold their opinions to themselves if they don't want to be taken for fools. The only way to have not fallen into the conspiracy would be to withhold criticism of his comments. That, I believe, would have been unfortunate.

But, as I mentioned in my other response prior to this one, they have new merchandise gushing out of the fetid swamps of their imagination every day. ANYTHING they say is going to be bracketed by some new line of merchandise.

They're also not hurting for notoriety. People who engage in publicity stunts are people who need publicity. DD is the most watched cable show in the history of cable.

Sorry, but as out-of-touch and hurtful as Mr. Robertson's comments were I just don't buy this CT.

[Maine-i-acs]

2. Because nothing says Duck Hunter like a Semiautomatic Handgun.

Morons.
Anything for a buck.

[jmowreader]

15. And nothing says Fundamentalist Christian like having your own brand of wine

They have three flavors, and that's the correct term for this: Red Blend, Chardonnay and Pink Moscato. Apparently the passage that says you can't serve both God and money was deleted from their Bibles.

[Jenoch]

22. They also have a line of buck calls and

hunting accessories, they are not just about ducks.

[sufrommich]

3. Why am I not surprised. I don't think any

product exists that these guys aren't willing to sell their brand for. It's quite the marketing business they've got going,including marketing fake outrage to yokels.

[Ranchemp.]

5. Walmart doesn't sell handguns,

only rifles and shotguns.

[NightWatcher]

7. ok then. You can get that at the Cracker Barrel I guess

[Ranchemp.]

8. Cracker Barrel sells handguns?

I thought they were a restaurant.
Never been in one, so I wouldn't know.

[Tanuki]

17. You guess wrong. Cracker Barrel is a chain of restaurant/gift shops.

They don't sell guns. They started out along highways and were originally attached to gas stations, but then the restaurants became independent. Why make stuff up?

[NightWatcher]

21. um yeah, I kinda sorta knew that.

This place is so damn literal sometimes.

[TlalocW]

6. I'm not a gun guy

Will grown men and women buy a gun based on whose name/face/brand is on it? That seems something more akin to the 1950s and kids arguing whose toy gun is better - Roy Rogers' or the Lone Ranger's.

TlalocW

[Ranchemp.]

9. Most serious gun owners won't,

some will for the novelty of it and maybe some day those firearms will become collector's items, although I doubt it.

[hack89]

14. They will buy them because they are Mossbergs

they have a sterling reputation for building high quality shotguns.

[world wide wally]

11. Think about this for a minute...

Of course, a redneck is going to say redneck shit. What else would anyone expect some guy with a Masters Degree pretending to be a swamp lizard to say?

Unfortunately, I think it was the liberal reaction to his ignorance that gave it legs. Everywhere I looked for the past month (mainly progressive websites), this phony's statements have gotten free publicity. How about if we start trying the old time philosophy and just ignore bullshit like this. Maybe it will just go away. This should have been long forgotten already and instead, now they have another new enterprise.

Fuck'em ....ignore 'em too.

[nomorenomore08]

23. Problem is, ignoring them allows them to monopolize the discourse.

And we saw what that can lead to, during the Bush years.

[Wounded Bear]

13. Do they sell one of those floor mats?

You know, the ones with the cutout for the toilet. I could use a new drip catcher. Hell, I might even stand back a bit for that one.

[Packerowner740]

20. It's all about the money