A North Carolina orthodontist has come up with an unconventional way of grabbing some extra business, offering patients who undergo Invisalign treatment with his office a free gun. Dr. Jason Gladwell, who owns Gladwell Orthodontics, is handing over a Glock 19 as part of a new promotion he’s running called “Grins and Glocks,” NBC affiliate WITN reports.
Dr. Gladwell had no idea how much attention the promotion would get.
Given that 45.8% of people in North Carolina are gun owners, per a RAND report (via CBS News), Gladwell’s picked a pretty good marketing technique. However, he still had no idea how much attention he and the practice would receive across the rest of the country.
Of course, not all of the attention has been positive, with many people pointing out that we should probably have fewer guns on the streets rather than more.
“Anytime you talk about firearms, it can be a polarizing subject,” Gladwell said.
If you already have enough guns, Gladwell has an alternative free gift.
The “Grins and Glocks” promotion offers patients who sign up for Invisalign treatment — which costs between $3,000 and $5,000 — a free Glock, which has a retail value of about $500.
However, understanding that many patients might have plenty of guns in their collection, Dr. Jason Gladwell is offering an alternative: a membership to Youngsville Gun Club & Range.
“Instead of them paying for it, I’m paying for it,” he said.
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There are some rules and regulations in place, of course.
According to Kurt Lieberman, the owner of the gun club, there will be some screening in place.
“You have to be 21 and older, and then, we do a background check here on site,” he explained, adding that patients wanting to claim their free Glock will have to visit the site in person.
Lieberman also suggests that those who cash in on the promotion take a gun safety and training class, though that’s not a requirement.
Is this even legal?
According to attorney Ron Shook, yes. The only limitation is making sure that those who get the guns are legally allowed to own them.
“Guns are like other property: you can buy and sell and dispose of them. But the distinction is guns are potentially inherently dangerous, so there is regulation surrounding the transfer of firearms,” Shook explained.
Align Technology, the company behind Invisalign, is not a fan of this promotion.
They issued a statement saying as much, insisting that giving out guns is inconsistent with the brand’s ethos.
They believe Dr. Jason Gladwell has been extremely misguided and are not into the “Grins and Glocks” program.
“Align Technology, the makers of Invisalign® brand clear aligners, recently learned of a customer’s promotional advertisement that offers a free handgun or gun range membership to qualified new patients who begin Invisalign treatment,” the statement reads.
“Invisalign trained doctors are independent practices and Align was not involved in the development or approval of this promotion by the dental practice, and only learned of it after the fact. For more than 25 years, Align has been helping doctors transform smiles and change lives through healthy beautiful smiles using Invisalign aligners, and this promotion does not reflect our brand purpose.”
Yikes. You almost yearn for the days of dentists riding hoverboards in the office…
