Buy a roof from this Wyoming construction company, get a free AR-15

A Wyoming construction company has created a stir with its new promotion that offers customers a free AR-15 with every new roof installation.

Wiggins Construction, based in Powell, Wyoming, announced the special on April 12. The idea of the promotion came from Matt Thomas, the company's marketing and customer relations director. A U.S. Navy veteran, Thomas asked co-owner Josh Wiggins about giving customers a free AR-15 instead of a "Thank you" card.

"I don't think there's anything more American or patriotic you can do for a roof giveaway than a free gun," Thomas told USA TODAY.

Thomas said the response to the social media post has been "awesome."

Wyoming is home to one of the least restrictive firearm laws in the country. No state permit is required to purchase or transfer a rifle, shotgun or handgun.

Still, the company consulted with a lawyer to make sure the promotion followed federal laws. Customers must prove they are at least 21 years of age, the owner of the home getting the new roof and not a convicted felon, as well as acknowledge they will abide by state and federal gun laws. The company will log the gun's serial number and submit a transfer ownership form. Then the gun belongs to the customer.

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"Legally, we don't have to do that. But we just want to be above par with everything, and we don't want to seem like we're just throwing out guns left and right to whoever. I want to make sure that it's done properly," Thomas said.

Wiggins Construction is coming off its busiest year in 2020, which Thomas credits to the recent housing boom in the state.

"There's a reason people live in Wyoming. There's a reason that people are moving here at an alarming rate. (It) is to get away from the censorship, to get away from the politics of big cities and to enjoy the freedoms that the Constitution (has) granted them," he said.

The company is booked over the next year and a half but is expanding roofing operations because of the promotion. Thomas estimates over 150 roofs will be installed by the end of the year.

He said he's received emails and phone calls from across the country since the promotion was announced, both positive and negative, but plans to respond to each one.

"Part of that Constitution as well is freedom of speech, and I 100% encourage anybody, whether they're pro or against the promotion to, and I will hear out every argument." Thomas said. "I don't mind you calling us baby killers and saying all sorts of negative stuff about our company because it's your constitutional right to do so."

Thomas said he doesn't think he needs to defend the Second Amendment, but referred to how, "you don't see stories of mass shootings in Wyoming," despite having the highest number of registered guns per capita in the country, according to CBS News.

"We're just doing this for local people, and just as a thank you gift for doing business with our company," Thomas said.

This isn't the first time guns have been offered for promotions. In 2019, a Ford dealership in Alabama offered shotguns with the purchase of cars.

Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter: @jord_mendoza.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Get a free gun with purchase of a new roof from this Wyoming company