Pro-Gun Billboard Featuring Native Americans Draws Outrage In Colorado

Proponents of the second amendment talk often of the importance of individual gun ownership as a check against government tyranny. Which is why the history of disarmed peoples being abused by governments – blacks and Native Americans here in the US, to name two examples – is an important one to remember.

But a billboard invoking that history which is up in Colorado is making some people angry:

A pro-gun billboard that features images of Native Americans is drawing both contempt and support in Colorado.

“Turn in your arms. The government will take care of you,” the sign says.

While the sarcasm is evident, the group behind the message is not.

Lamar Advertising, the company that owns the billboard, told CNN affiliate KUSA that the group who paid for the message wants to remain anonymous.

This response from an angry member of the public made me chuckle:

Regardless, the billboard has outraged some residents in Greeley, about 50 miles north of Denver.

“I think it is insensitive, because even though it is what may have happened in the past, people are still living that. Relatives are still living that,” Kerri Salazar, a Greeley resident and Native American, told KUSA.

It’s upsetting, because it’s just so damn accurate.

The simple truth is that unarmed societies inevitably become victimized societies.