Billboards Featuring Santa Aiming Assault-Style Weapons Emerge Across US

SACRAMENTO (CBS Sacramento)-- Multiple billboards featuring depictions of Santa Claus holding a gun have emerged across the United States.

People took note of a billboard in North Carolina soon after reports of gun range billboard arming Santa with a weapon in California.

WSOC reports the Charlotte billboard was put up by Blackstone Shooting Sports and features Santa aiming a weapon with the text "Santa knows what you really want!"

Ads in South Carolina following the theme of an armed Christmas have also been causing controversy. One plays off the language of "five golden rings" in a loaded revolver, while another portrays a handgun with a suppressor accompanied by the words "silent night."

People in the communities featuring the ads have mixed opinions on the matter, with some taking offense to the ads and some viewing them as a humorous advertising tactic.

Last Christmas, similar billboards for an area gun range in northern California turned heads when they were posted along Highway 99.