Butler car dealer offering more bang for the bucks

Many car dealerships offer incentives to buyers, but Mark Muller, owner of Max Motors in Butler, is offering something unusual, either a $250 gas card or a certificate for a $250 handgun. On Thursday Muller said the promotion had gotten off to a fast start.

"We're selling a lot of cars and most people are choosing the gun," Muller said. "We started this Tuesday and we've given away about 35 handguns so far."

The giveaway is attracting national, even international, attention. Stories have appeared on ABC, MSNBC and run on the AP wire. Muller said that he had been busy talking to a variety of media sources.

"I just finished talking to Rush Limbaugh," Muller said. "The BBC did a story and there are people calling from all over."

Muller is unafraid of controversy, but that seems to run in the family -- Muller is the older brother of "Mancow" Muller, a controversial radio personality with a nationally syndicated show.

"Mancow is my baby brother, I taught him everything he knows," Muller said.

Muller said he had received lots of e-mails, most of them positive and had received only one negative phone call.

"I've received hundreds of e-mails, most of them positive," Muller said. "The phone has been going crazy with people calling. I did get one negative call so far."

The promotion did draw some protesters onto the property but they didn't stick around long.

"We had some people show up here and start protesting but we went out there in our cowboy boots and told them to get off the property or we would kick their a**es," Muller said.

Responses on the Max Motors Web site, www.max71.com, has been overwhelmingly supportive with people from all over the country leaving messages. A Washington state resident identifying himself as John Weber, Mukilteo, Wash., said he would come to Missouri just to buy a car if he could.

"Brilliant!" Weber said. "You men are BRILLIANT! And stick to your guns! If I can ever come to Missouri and buy a car, I will buy it from you. I live in the Soviet Stalinist State of Washington."

Muller said his next promotion might be even more controversial, he said he would give Bibles to car-buying Muslim converts to Christianity.

"Our next promotion is to give every Muslim who buys a car a Bible," Muller said. "That should get some attention."

Commenter Christopher Blevins said he heard about the promotion through one of the Web's most popular sites, World Net Daily.

"I saw your Guns & Gas ad through World Net Daily.com, and thought it was fantastic," Blevins said. "If you ever open a dealership and run the same promo in the Dallas area, please let me know. And God bless you if you do the KJV Bible give-away to Christian-converted Muslims."