It seems as though a BBC journalist believed that the toy guns on display at Walmart were real guns.
In a now-viral tweet, Pádraig Belton shared a photo that made his error known to the masses, except he himself still appears to have been confused.
Belton tweeted, "Hi from America. Where Walmart doesn’t have a plug adapter for my UK laptop. But on the other hand, I can buy a rifle and ammunition."
In the photo attached, it can be seen that the rifles he is referring to are not real guns, but BB guns. And while those can still be dangerous, there is a dramatic difference between the two.
Hi from America. Where Walmart doesn\u2019t have a plug adapter for my UK laptop. But on the other hand, I can buy a rifle and ammunition.pic.twitter.com/5AOl232CZE— P\u00e1draig Belton (@P\u00e1draig Belton) 1650988164
As of writing the tweet has more than 5,000 quote retweets and more than 15,000 comments, most of which are laughing at the error.
"Do you...Do you really think a BB/Pellet gun is a firearm? 🤣🤣🤣 And why would our Walmarts carry outlet adaptors for European 220V plugs? And why wouldn't you pick one up at the airport when you landed?" said one.
Someone else wrote, "Hello person from the UK. I think you may be confused, because those devices do not meet the definition of firearm in either the US or the UK as low velocity BB guns. You wouldn't require a Firearm Certificate for any of them."
"Sir, it gets worse. You can literally walk into Walmart and leave with a M1 Abrams tank," wrote another.
Sir, it gets worse. You can literally walk into Walmart and leave with a M1 Abrams tank.pic.twitter.com/sG25zmRWmc— Gian B (@Gian B) 1650994862
As can only be expected, aside from a slight chuckle at the blunder the tweet also brought a discussion between those that are pro-gun and those that are decidedly not.
"First, those are BB guns Second, our guns are the reason we don't bow to a queen," wrote one person.
"Hey bloke, that’s a BB gun. Take your gun-hating America-hating liberalism back where you came from," commented another.
Hey bloke, that\u2019s a BB gun. Take your gun-hating America-hating liberalism back where you came from.https://twitter.com/padraigbelton/status/1518980573007597568\u00a0\u2026— Josh Mandel (@Josh Mandel) 1651004520
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