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An orthodontist in North Carolina has generated some controversy over a giveaway he is promoting. Dr. Jason Gladwell is offering patients who sign up for Invisalign treatment a free handgun or a free membership at the Youngsville Gun Club & Range.
"Instead of them paying for it, I'm paying for it," Gladwell told WRAL.
The news station spoke to an ATF spokesperson who said the promotion is perfectly legal.
"Usually, these transactions are coordinated through a licensed firearms dealer to ensure a background check is conducted and the recipient can legally possess a firearm. In other cases, a gift card to the partnering business is handed out so that the recipient can work directly with the licensed dealer on the purchase," the spokesperson told the news station.
Youngsville Gun Club & Range owner Kurt Lieberman said that anybody who qualifies for the free gun must come down his range to pick up the Glock 19 and verify they are legally allowed to own a firearm.
"It's a process. They have to come; they have to have a valid driver's license. They have to be a legal citizen; they have to be 21 and older. We do a background check here on-site. That has to come back approved. They have to fill out all the paperwork," Lieberman said.
Not everybody in the area is thrilled about the promotion. Jennifer Copeland, the executive director of the NC Council of Churches, told WRAL she was shocked to learn that an orthodontist was giving away a free firearm.
They're giving away guns that are going to be lodged in a house somewhere and will potentially create gun violence and gun death," Copeland said. "It's mind-blowing to me that an organization that I think of as trying to provide health care to the people in the community is partnering their healthcare with gun death."