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Santa Clarita Vape Shop To Give Away AR-15 Rifle

A Santa Clarita vape shop is rolling its Independence Day celebration into one for the Second Amendment, as well — by giving away an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle with a raffle for customers, the owner of Awesometown Vapors said Tuesday.


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Guy Casablanca, the owner of Awesometown Vapors.

Guy Casablanca, the owner of Awesometown Vapors.

The owner of Awesometown Vapors, located in Saugus, is raffling off the semi-automatic rifle July 2 as part of a Fourth of July sale.

“In an effort to draw attention to the constant encroachment on our right to vape, we have opted to give away an AR-15 rifle,” said Guy Casablanca, the owner of Awesometown Vapors. “Because that has become the poster child for devices that are sought to be banned with really unsubstantiated grounds behind (banning them).”

The vape shop owner stressed the promotion was not about the recent controversy surrounding the AR-15 rifle, which is similar to the one used in the Orlando shooting earlier this month.

The winner of the raffle will not be able to pick up the rifle from the store, according to officials.

“There is absolutely no way the state of California would allow me to hand a semi-automatic rifle to a stranger over my counter,” said Casablanca.

“The person who wins (the prize) has to be able to legally purchase that firearm,” said Rich Nagler, owner of Adams Armory, and a retired Sheriff’s Department sergeant who has more than three decades of experience with firearms.

“On the surface of this thing, yes, (it is) very controversial,” said Casablanca. “Is there any way to circumvent the California law? Of course not.”

Officials with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station said that as long as all proper procedures are met and the winner passes the California background check, the giveaway is legal.

“As long as it’s a California (law)-compliant gun, and the winner can pass the background check, and that the transfer of registration is done legally, then there’s nothing illegal about (the gun giveaway),” said Kevin Duxbury of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station. “They would have to go through a licensed gun dealer to do the transfer and the gun shop would be responsible (for screening the raffle winner).

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“It would be the same background checks, and you have to over 18 to buy a long rifle,” he said, “and you have to be over 21 to buy a handgun.”

Casablanca drew a comparison between the rights of those who vape and second amendment advocates.

“We could give away a 500 gallon drum of e-juice (which is used in vaporizers) and nobody will care. But the minute that we put that (giveaway) up, now suddenly people want to know what this is all about,” Casablanca said. “This is about your right to choose going away. There are factions in this country that want to see my vapor device banned. There are factions in this country that want to see that AR-15 gone, as well.”

Casablanca said the reaction to this promotion has been “mixed.”

“Our immediate response from our customers and from the people that are close to us is very supportive. We bounced it off of a lot of people before we actually decided to go ahead and do this,” he said. “We knew there was going to be immediate backlash. We knew that we would be ostracized by some people, including some within our own industry.”

However, he emphasized that the goal of this promotion was to draw attention to freedoms that are being taken away.

“We deliberated long and hard about this before this promotion,” said Casablanca. “This is more than just a vape issue. It’s a civil liberties issue. This is a freedom to do what you will issue.”

Perry Smith contributed to this story.

Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, or drop us a line at community@hometownstation.com.

KHTS AM 1220 - Santa Clarita Radio

Santa Clarita Vape Shop To Give Away AR-15 Rifle

36 comments

  1. An AR-15 is not an automatic rifle as stated in the first sentence of the article.

  2. Excellent idea.

  3. “The vape shop owner stressed the promotion was not about the recent controversy surrounding the AR-15 rifle, which is similar to the one used in the Orlando shooting earlier this month.”

    Hmm, right. Note to self: Spread word to friends not to patronize SCV Vape.

  4. I think this is awesome. I’m so tired of being over governed by what has to be the most corrupt government I’ve ever seen in my 51 years of life. I support this all the way. I was in Utah this last weekend and went to a western store and found out that all you need is a valid license or I.D. pass a 5 min background check and you take your guns ammo and go. It should be like that everywhere. .I hope this goes great. I don’t smoke but let people make there own choices and quit trying to tell everyone what we can or can’t do. The gov’t keeps taking our land from off roaders now our guns, but not alcohol or anything else that kills. How about taking knives away or cars because those kill as well. If I’m of able mind and pass a background check I should be able to buy a gun and all the ammo I can afford. The gov’t needs to quit worrying about the legal buying of guns by Good people and start worrying about the corruption inside of there own. Dr’s kill more patients in a year than unlawful gun use but we don’t get rid of Dr’s. Wake up America, let’s take our country back from these politicians that are voted into office but don’t end up working for us. Good luck and I’ll be buying some raffle tickets.

  5. KHTS should not allow itself to be used to promote such self-serving idiocy.

  6. Why not giveaway something good?

  7. I was in law enforcement for over 29 years. in the course of my police career I confiscated a few weapons from some bad people. Not one of these weapons that I took away from these citizens was registered to them.
    Why is it that the cities that have the most restrictive gun laws in the country, have the highest crime rate?

  8. I hope the winner shoots all the smokers so the rest of us don’t have to pay for your healthcare!

  9. The government takes away a little more of your personal freedom every time it is in session. Years ago there was a million man march on Washington to raise an awareness. What would happen in Washington if there was a million gun march? Would the corrupt politicians change their ways or just keep counting on the ignorance of the governed? Would the governed lash out?
    Thank you, Guy, for raising awareness of the government encroachment on our daily lives.

  10. How many lives need to be lost before we restrict ridiculous assault weapons from the mentally ill and those being investigated as terrorists?
    Too many loved ones have been lost. We have a no fly list to prevent terrorists, why not one to prevent the same individuals from owning guns? There is no need for a non-military person to own a semi- automatic weapon.

  11. I guess only republicans get to post here

  12. Wow! Talk about rights! What about free speech home town station?

  13. Awesome deal. Smart move man, great idea.

  14. This is awful. We need to implement “Common Sense” Gun Restrictions. Let’s start saving lives instead of taking them.
    The 2nd Amendment was created a long time ago when guns were nothing more than a single shot rifle that took a long time to reload. Even our founding fathers would have stepped in by now to legalize only safe guns (like single shot and nothing more than 8 rounds in a barrel).
    Wake up America!

  15. Do you have to make a purchase to enter? I don’t vape but I’ll take the gun!!!

  16. Ammosexual children and their toys!

  17. The “A” in AR-15 does NOT stand for “Automatic”, it stands for Armalite, the original manufacturer.

  18. Killing is the number one use for an assault weapon.
    The number two use is… there is no second use.

    Inhaling cancer causing vapor is also bad for one’s health.
    Real nice family values here guys; how proud you must be.

  19. Jesus people nothing about this is illegal, Its a California compliant Armalite Rifle -15 being properly transferred to the raffle winner through a FFL/gun store. If you have a problem with any of this its time to get off the computer and go outside you 55 year old stay at home Valencia mother who named their son ‘Hunter’.

    You don’t like guns? Then you shouldn’t have moved to santa clarita, Its been a red conservative city for a long time. I’d say go back to brentwood but the reason you moved to Valencia is because you couldn’t afford anything nicer.

  20. Jesus people nothing about this is illegal, Its a California compliant Armalite Rifle -15 being properly transferred to the raffle winner through a FFL/gun store.

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About Chris McCrory

Chris McCrory is the acting News Director for KHTS Radio. He set up a profile picture in his first week as an intern in 2015, and still isn't sure how to change it. He will graduate from Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism in December 2018.