As demand for the Covid vaccine has begun to wane among those who still haven’t gotten the jab, cities and states have begun to employ incentives to coax reluctant holdouts into joining the ranks of the inoculated. Massachusetts is handing out $25 grocery gift cards. Ohio is giving away the equivalent of a lottery ticket. The state’s Vax-A-Million giveaway is paying a few select vaccine recipients $1 million.
Anheuser-Busch has promised to buy the nation a beer if America reaches a certain percentage of vaccinations . . .
Anheuser-Busch, the national brewer that produces Budweiser, announces it will give away free alcohol if the nation reaches President Biden’s goal of having 70% of US adults partially vaccinated by July 4.
— Kate Sullivan (@KateSullivanDC) June 2, 2021
While Illinois is giving away free rounds of trap, skeet, or sporting clays, West Virginia is taking a slightly different approach. They’ve decided to give away guns (along with cash, scholarships, trucks, vacations, and lifetime hunting licenses) in a drawing among the vaccinated to take place on Father’s Day.
From the Washington Examiner . . .
The state will award five custom hunting rifles and five custom hunting shotguns during the Father’s Day drawing, in addition to $1 million cash prizes awarded each week for five weeks in a row.
It’s those firearms that have attracted all the news. You can probably imagine the very public reactions of many of the usual suspects . . .
This headline should read West Virginia to encourage public gun violence in order to encourage people to get COVID 19 vaccine or West Virginia to encourage citizens to choose a form of death. https://t.co/uJ7dEXGqTp
— Fred Guttenberg (@fred_guttenberg) June 2, 2021
West Virginia suffered the largest population exodus of any state in the last couple years.
More guns probably aren’t going to help.
West Virginia offering guns as prizes in COVID vaccine lottery https://t.co/PTU6j58aKp via @nypost
— techweenie ???? (@techweenie) June 2, 2021
After a year full of mass shootings West Virginia now offering free shotguns as a vaccine incentive????
“We’re going to give five custom hunting rifles and five custom hunting shot guns away on fathers day.” https://t.co/9garwCvhqY
— Ariana Freeman (@ArianaFreeman12) June 2, 2021
Whatever. That’s the beauty of federalism. Each state can decide what, if anything, they want to use to motivate their particular populations. And the fact that West Virginia’s gun giveaway is causing so many hissy fits, torqued panties, and conspicuous face-palming is a good indication that whatever they’re doing is likely to work.
