Here’s some news that you’ll either consider appealing or horrifying: Soon, people will be able to buy guns from their living rooms, thanks to a QVC-style cable channel for firearms.
GunTV, which is set to launch in California’s Coachella Valley in January, brings the convenience of the Home Shopping Network to the process of purchasing deadly weapons. The station will be available nationally on yet-to-be-named cable and satellite providers.
At launch, programming will be limited to six hours a day, beginning at 1 a.m.—precisely the time of day when most people make their wisest decisions—but the network’s proprietors expect it to reach 24 hours of coverage within a year.
The news, which was first reported by the Desert Sun last month, comes at a contentious moment in the ongoing national debate about guns. Yesterday, 14 people were killed and 17 wounded in a mass shooting in San Bernardino, California. As the 355th mass shooting in the country this year so far, the incident has reignited the fiery debate over gun control in America, a country that has more firearms than citizens.
The channel’s founders insist that GunTV is just filling a market need by meeting the growing demand for guns while giving gun manufacturers a new way to advertise their latest models. Plus, they’re quick to point out, the new network will contain all kinds of helpful information about gun safety and responsible gun ownership. The Delaware-based parent company of the channel (which has no affiliation with the real QVC or Home Shopping Network) is even called The Social Responsibility Network.
Of course, unlike the shop-at-home TV experience we’re used to, GunTV will specialize in selling products that have some legal restrictions on their purchase. Thus, it’s not as simple as ordering an iPad or a new elliptical machine.
As the Desert Sun explains:
