‘Faster than 911’: Gun store’s billboard overlooks playground in Indiana
A billboard for a gun store, located near a playground in Indiana, has drawn mixed reactions on social media.
The yellow-orange billboard for ZX Gun shows a large handgun next to the words, “Faster than 911,” photos posted Sept. 3 on Facebook show. The advertisement can be seen from Promenade Park in downtown Fort Wayne.
On social media, the billboard’s content and location have drawn strong — and mixed — opinions.
One person commented, “this billboard [is] a subliminal message of fear and gun violence.”
“This made me sick,” another person said.
“They have every right to uphold the second amendment,” another person commented.
An employee of ZX Gun, who didn’t want to be identified, told McClatchy News that the billboard’s message “is just reminding people that, you know, they can empower themselves to, you know, protect and defend their families on their own.”
“If the message is provocative, then it’s working in terms of advertising,” the worker said. “Nobody’s there to promote violence or try and offend anybody.”
The location of the billboard has also sparked discussion online.
“In a country where gun violence is the number one killer of children and teens, let’s slap this baby up next to a playground,” one person posted on Reddit.
Another person defended the location, saying “kids might not be paying attention to it, but hopefully subliminally they are learning that it’s okay to have a gun and it’s okay [to] protect yourself and others.”
According to the gun shop employee, ZX Gun does not choose the location for its billboards but uses unsold locations. “If anybody that’s in the park with their kids or whatever, sees that message, boy, that’s a great message for them to see too, that they can be empowered to protect their families,” the worker said.
The store has run this advertisement on and off years, the employee said. The number of billboards with the advertisement can range from three to 10, the worker said. The store may use the ad “indefinitely,” depending on the “traction” it generates, according to the employee.
Fort Wayne is about 120 miles northeast of Indianapolis.
This story was originally published September 9, 2022 at 12:22 PM with the headline "‘Faster than 911’: Gun store’s billboard overlooks playground in Indiana."
