Rancho Cordova, CA (CNN) — Travelers along eastbound 50 near Hazel exit can see that Santa Claus is comint to town and he has an AR-15 rifle.
The Santa depicted on the billboard is one of the employees at Ammo Depot, A Rancho Cordova gun store on the same block as the electronic sign.
Brandon Lungren, one of the owners of the Ammo Depot, said it has come to his attention that some people find his Black Friday ad offensive because of the armed Santa.
“There’s a lot of people out there that when they see a picture of a firearm or an AR-15, or anything along those lines, they inherently think it’s evil,” said Lungren. “And it’s a shame that that happens.”
He explains that he and his coworkers, customers, and family have a different perspective. One from which the billboard is not meant to offend anyone.
“When we see a firearm, my kids automatically think of hey we go do that as a family. We have a lot of fun. We go shooting together. And it’s a past-time and a hobbie for my family. My kids also see it as a tool to be able to protect our family if the need ever arises.”