When it comes to social media, it’s hard these days to determine who is being serious and who is being sarcastic, and a BBC journalist on a work trip to the U.S. certainly blurred those lines in a tweet he shared about Walmart selling rifles.
Journalist Padraig Belton took to Twitter on Tuesday to share his conundrum of not having the right plug to fit adapters in the United States — we must presume he’s being serious, as the reporter described himself as “well travelled” and has reported from numerous war zones, according to the Daily Mail.
“Hello, I am a well travelled journalist and also it only occurred to me, at 1 am when I sat down to file my piece, that the US has US-style plugs,” Belton tweeted.
Hello, I am a well travelled journalist and also it only occurred to me, at 1 am when I sat down to file my piece, that the US has US-style plugs. pic.twitter.com/E8KoaExAVf
— Pádraig Belton (@PadraigBelton) April 26, 2022
He followed up on that tweet with a photograph of a BB gun for sale at a Walmart store in Hallandale Beach, Florida, presumably mistaking it for a real firearm — his photo featured Red Ryder Carbine and Powerline Model 880 BB guns from Daisy, as well as a Crosman 760 Pumpmaster BB gun.
“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,” 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. pic.twitter.com/5AOl232CZE
— Pádraig Belton (@PadraigBelton) April 26, 2022
The great irony here is that Walmart does sell firearms and ammunition in about half of its 4,700 U.S. locations, particularly in more rural areas where hunting is popular. In 2015, Walmart did announce that it had stopped selling modern sporting rifles, including the AR-15.
“We also do not sell handguns, except in Alaska where we feel we should continue to offer them to our customers,” the company aid in a statement at the time.
The best response to Belton’s tweet, perhaps, stated: “My brother in Christ it’s no wonder you guys lost the war.”
My brother in Christ it’s no wonder you guys lost the war. https://t.co/L3bPy7zk1X
— Mike The Mad Scientist ™️ (@MadMikeOfficial) April 26, 2022
The tweet released an avalanche of snark and other reactions, all of which makes it rather clear that England will never live down losing the Revolutionary War to American patriots.
Here’s a quick sampling of some of the responses from Twitter:
Sir it’s even worse than you think. They also sell GRENADES at the dollar store. pic.twitter.com/gjxZE5Vtgz
— Acclaimed Children’s Author 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
Be careful they also sell flying surface to air missiles. pic.twitter.com/OflDxsQPLl
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) April 26, 2022
Hi from America. Where our Christmas movies depict children receiving fully automatic weapons from Santa Claus. pic.twitter.com/QsJprVafyQ
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) April 26, 2022
The last time British snobs marched into America and tried to control our economy we grabbed real rifles and ammunition and kicked their asses.
American boys that grew up shooting these bb guns went on to save the UK in two world wars.
Remember your adapter next time, Red Coat.
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) April 26, 2022
Same energy 👇 pic.twitter.com/Rc5C0UMwLI
— Papist in NOVA (@nova_papist) April 26, 2022
Tell me you had a sad childhood AND never watched A Christmas Story in one tweet.
— Beth Baumann (@eb454) April 26, 2022
The cartoon on the box wasn’t a giveaway for Paddy… https://t.co/QEflBDxogI
— Derek Hunter (@derekahunter) April 27, 2022
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