Santa Claus, dressed in his red suit trimmed in fluffy white fur, wearing sunglasses and carrying an assault-type rifle, is on a billboard promoting an indoor shooting range in Oklahoma City and some parents are upset that Santa is sending the wrong message to kids for Christmas.
Every Christmas season there seems to be a controversy over Santa Claus and guns. This year is no exception. H&H Shooting Sports, an indoor shooting range, is using Santa with an assault-type weapon to promote their business. Joshua Harris-Till, who is associated with Moms Demand Action, a gun violence prevention program in Oklahoma City, OK condemns the billboard. Harris-Till commented, "I'm here to tell you that's a horrible advertisement because guns are not for children and Santa Claus isn't for adults" and further criticized "advertising to children here to say, hey, Santa likes guns, you kids, you like guns?"
A KFOR-TV viewer agreed that the billboard sends a wrong message and said "in the light of the fear that children in schools face every day because of multiple mass shootings in this country, I question the wisdom of associating what should be a carefree time in a child's life with a gun-toting image of someone they are told will be entering their home."
The idea that Santa, who enters your home in the middle of the night, is armed with a powerful weapon may be unsettling to kids, but the reality is that in 2023 if you are entering homes during the night in some neighborhoods it might be a good idea to have protection.
I disagree with the notion that Santa isn't for adults! Santa is for everyone. I also understand the concern that the image of Santa may be altered when he is carrying a weapon, but shouldn't parents be able to explain that sometimes Santa brings gifts to adults or Santa is representing a shooting range?
During election years, we have all seen controversy erupt over politicians appealing to conservative voters by sending out campaign material or Christmas cards with the politician and his family in front of the Christmas tree all toting various types of guns. Personally, I think those images are ridiculous and it's easy to see them as a lowest-common-denominator effort to reach voters by being controversial for the sake of being controversial. A voter's decision to vote for a politician should not depend on whether he/she and their family are showing off their guns for Christmas.
But the general condemnation of Santa with a gun should not be a blasphemous thing. While it was never part of my culture growing up, I know there are families across America who are into hunting and a young boy or girl waking up Christmas morning and getting their first shotgun for Christmas would be a tremendous thrill.
Since the Santa with the weapon on the billboard is promoting an indoor shooting range, wouldn't that suggest that gun safety is part of the message?
As a talk show host, I welcome controversy, but sometimes the best controversy is to point out the things that should not be controversial. And a billboard featuring a gun-toting Santa should not be controversial if parents simply explain that this Santa is for adults.
