A British journalist who was alarmed over the deadly potential of items he saw at Walmart was rebuked and ridiculed after sharing his commentary with the world.
The BBC’s Padraig Belton reported Monday about the deadly nature of a Walmart he visited while in Florida.
“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,” he wrote.
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. pic.twitter.com/5AOl232CZE
— Pádraig Belton (@PadraigBelton) April 26, 2022
The image shows the Daisy Red Ryder Carbine and Powerline Model 880 as well as a Crosman 760 Pumpmaster. None are real guns, and none of the companies make real guns.
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The tweet gave rise to a round of abuse sent Belton’s way.
Be careful they also sell flying surface to air missiles. pic.twitter.com/OflDxsQPLl
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) April 26, 2022
Sir it’s even worse than you think. They also sell GRENADES at the dollar store. pic.twitter.com/gjxZE5Vtgz
— Best Selling Biologist Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) April 26, 2022
Sir, it gets worse. You can literally walk into Walmart and leave with a M1 Abrams tank. pic.twitter.com/sG25zmRWmc
— Gian B (@gbtiepolo1) April 26, 2022
Brother I thought this was satire. Then saw you’re a “journalist” for the BBC, which covered up for Jimmy Savile. Anyway it’s BB guns. I had one as a kid. Good self defense for child sexual predators like the BBC protected.
— Cernovich (@Cernovich) April 26, 2022
This reminds me of the time a guy found a round of .22lr in York and freaked out. He was STARTLED but luckily the police came and put it in “safe storage.” The cops even asked for people to call in with tips. I imagine the investigation is still ongoing. https://t.co/47olA99a8v pic.twitter.com/PT00qqHxt8
— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) April 26, 2022
Some commenters referenced the recurring line in the popular holiday movie “A Christmas Story”: “You’ll shoot your eye out, kid.”
You do realize those are kid’s BB guns, like the one that Ralphie (the kid in ‘A Christmas Story’) got for Christmas, right?
“You’ll shoot your eye out kid!”
— Chuck Marble (@C_Marb) April 28, 2022
Amid the replies, conservative commentator Benny Johnson suggested that Britsh snobbery has changed little in the past two and a half centuries.
“The last time British snobs marched into America and tried to control our economy we grabbed real rifles and ammunition and kicked their a–es. American boys that grew up shooting these bb guns went on to save the UK in two world wars,” Johnson wrote.
Then he offered some advice:
“Remember your adapter next time, Red Coat,” Johnson tweeted.
Belton did not respond on Twitter to those enjoying his tweet at his expense.
And as for Belton’s need for an adapter, that was resolved in the end after the Daily Wire’s Ian Haworth tried to help out the bewildered Brit.
On the website but not in the shop, they said. (Though the chap was very nice and pointed me toward the Apple Store in Aventura Shopping Centre.)
— Pádraig Belton (@PadraigBelton) April 26, 2022
“On the website but not in the shop, they said. (Though the chap was very nice and pointed me toward the Apple Store in Aventura Shopping Centre.),” Belton replied.
Aventura is about 20 miles north of Miami.
As Mediaite noted, Belton evidently wasn’t prepared for other aspects of a Florida visit.
is not at all that Irish guy who went running for an hour on Miami Beach, *may* have neglected sunscreen, and *may* now possibly be bright red.
— Pádraig Belton (@PadraigBelton) April 26, 2022
In a later post, he noted that he “may” have neglected to wear sunscreen for a jog on Miami Beach.
