Gun-Themed Valentines' Days In Las Vegas Are 'A Poor Taste Effort To Put A Happy Face On Firearms'

'A Poor Taste Effort To Put A Happy Face On Firearms': Vegas Offers Gun-Themed Valentines' Day Celebrations
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Nothing says "I love you" like firing a semi-automatic weapon while renewing those wedding vows, eh?

If you're not attached, you might unwind on Valentine's Day by blasting holes in photographs of your ex, or visiting an indoor shooting range where the skimpily-dressed hostesses tote replica weapons and show you how to, er, hold your piece.

All this and more is on the table in Las Vegas, a city which in light of the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting, continues to show absolutely no sign of toning down the gun promotions.

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Lindsae MacDuff at the Gun store in Las Vegas after her 'shotgun wedding'

Meanwhile the Guns and Ammo Garage is offering free, yes free, vow renewals between 9-5pm on Valentine's Day with a little help from "Pistol Packing Preacher" Jimmy Mac.

But gun control advocates like Josh Sugarmann at the Violence Policy Centre, say the promotions trivialise the dangers of high-powered weapons.

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Bob MacDuff gets in on the pistol-packing action

He said: "These gun stores and shooting ranges offer bad puns in poor taste in their efforts to put a happy face on firearm, yet each day more than 86 Americans die from gun violence.

"While Las Vegas gun promoters present assault rifles with high-capacity ammunition magazines as harmless Valentine's Day propers, the vast majority of Americans understand their true role: military-bred weapons that threaten police and public safety."

As Americans continue to wrangle over the thorny issue of gun control, some ominous shots came over the parapet from National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre on Wednesday.

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Bullet belts to seal our love: Shotgun weddings continue to be popular

"Hurricanes. Tornadoes. Riots. Terrorists. Gangs. Lone criminals. These are perils we are sure to face -- not just maybe," LaPierre wrote in a commentary published by The Daily Caller, a conservative news site.

"It's not paranoia to buy a gun. It's survival. It's responsible behavior, and it's time we encourage law-abiding Americans to do just that."

In January Huffington Post UK reported shotgun-themed weddings were continuing to boom - particularly in Sin City where organisers insisted no weddings had been cancelled in the wake of the Sandy Hook incident, which saw a gunman pick off 26 people.

Americans across the country took to social media to show off their potentially lethal stocking fillers, as it emerged the rush on guns and ammunition sales spiked to "unprecedented" levels ahead of December 25.

Shotgun wedding
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Saying it with guns is not a new development by any means. Check out some of the vintage ads for American gun makers below:

Vintage Gun Advertisements
Christmas Ad for Daisy Rifles (1972)(01 of21)
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A Christmas Storythis is not. (credit:Daisy Rifles)
"A Hi-Standard For Christmas" (1957)(02 of21)
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(credit:Hi-Standard)
Iver Johnson Revolvers (1904)(03 of21)
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Iver Johnson guns were used in the assassinations of both Robert F. Kennedy and president William F. McKinley. (credit:Iver Johnson Revolvers)
Savage Arms Co. Ad for the Savage Automatic (1914)(04 of21)
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"Is your wife helpless -- or dangerous -- in these times when more idlers make more brutes and more thugs?" (credit:Savage Arms Co.)
Crosman Pellguns (1959)(05 of21)
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St. Louis Cardinals legend and MLB Hall of Famer Stan Musial advertised for Crosman Pellguns in the 1950's. (credit:Corsman Pellguns)
Winchester Rifle Ad (1958)(06 of21)
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"Give him year 'round fun...for years to come." (credit:Winchester Repeating Arms Company)
Remington Single Shot Rifles (1903)(07 of21)
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"The simplicity of the Remington action insures safety and saves repair bills." (credit:Remington Arms Co.)
Remington .22 Repeater (1910's)(08 of21)
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"Insure against a dull vacation: pack a Remington .22 Repeater in your grip and half a dozen boxes of UMC .22 shorts." (credit:Remington Arms Co.)
Winchester Calendar (1917)(09 of21)
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What's manlier than taming -- or possibly punching -- a horse while your friend holds a severed deer head? (credit:Winchester Repeating Arms Company)
Winchester Calendar (1917)(10 of21)
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An epic battle pitting man on horseback with a gun versus a bear...on the edge of a cliff! (credit:Winchester Repeating Arms Company)
Daisy Air Rifles (1930s)(11 of21)
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"Get year 'round fun with your Christmas money...get a Daisy." (credit:Vintage Air Rifles)
Remington Kleaborne Cartridges Ad (1933)(12 of21)
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"What a man, Jimmy, what a man!" (credit:Remington)
Rheingold Beer with Duck Hunting Shotgun (1957)(13 of21)
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(credit:Rheingold Extra Dry Lager Beer)
Colt Match Target Woodsman Pistol (1951)(14 of21)
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(credit:Colt's Manufacturing Company)
Action Arms Ltd. Uzi Ad (Late 1980's)(15 of21)
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(credit:Actions Arms Ltd.)
.41 Smith & Wesson Ad (Undated)(16 of21)
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"When it's you or him..." (credit:Smith & Wesson, Inc.)
Colt Guns Christmas Ad (1939)(17 of21)
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"Isn't it time you gave yourself a Christmas gift?" (credit:Colt's Manufacturing Company)
Winchester .22 (Undated)(18 of21)
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"Start him right -- right now." (credit:Winchester Repeating Arms Company)
Daisy Air Rifle Ad (Undated)(19 of21)
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"Mothers, as well as fathers, now generally recognize that this training makes for character and manliness." (credit:Daisy Air Rifle)
Daisy Air Rifle Ad (1968)(20 of21)
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(credit:Daisy Air Rifles)
Winchester Model 75 .22 Target Rifle Boy Scout Ad (1944)(21 of21)
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"Every boy has his hero." (credit:Winchester Repeating Arms Company)