Social change organization CREDO is targeting deal website LivingSocial for its deals that involve shooting ranges and drinking.
CREDO and the Gun Truth Project created a petition and report entitled “Dying Social” to demonize LivingSocial for what CREDO believes are deals that support the gun industry.
They argue that the deals advance gun-industry marketing by enticing new customers to shooting ranges. They also object to the pairing of firearms and alcohol, even though the alcohol is provided in another location after the shooting portion of the event.
The abstract of the report reads, “Some of LivingSocial’s deals, which are created by gun range proprietors, and then edited and solicited by paid LivingSocial staff, would make even the NRA blush — and with good reason: 86% of gun murders are committed by people who were drinking before they opened fire.”
CREDO finds fault with the glib copy of the deals as well. They pulled out choice phrases in the ads like, “A day of popping caps and sipping on taps? We can’t think of any experience more on target.”
They point to other online deal site and Living Social competitor, Groupon, as an example for Living Social to follow. Groupon issued a statement a month after the Sandy Hook shooting that they would no longer offer any firearm event or product deals due to negative customer feedback.
Andrew Weinstein, LivingSocial’s chief spokesman, defended their decision to continue offering shooting and drinking events.
“Our staff has also [been] instructed to turn away any participant who appears to have consumed alcohol or drugs prior to the event,” Weinstein told The Hill.