A North Carolina orthodontist is trying to get new customers to pull the trigger on treatment — by offering a free gun.
Gladwell Orthodontics in Wake Forest sparked outrage with a two-day “Grins & Glocks” promotion offering a pistol for those agreeing to Invisalign aligner treatment.
Those signing up can get a free Glock 19 — which typically retails for around $500 — or silver membership for the nearby Youngsville Gun Club & Range, WRAL reported.
“It’s mind-blowing to me, that an organization that I think of as trying to provide health care to the people in the community is partnering their healthcare with gun death,” Jennifer Copeland, the executive director of the NC Council of Churches, told WRAL.
“They’re giving away guns that are going to be lodged in a house somewhere, and will potentially create gun violence and gun death,” she complained.
Align Technology, which produces Invisalign products, was also not smiling at the promotion.
“Invisalign trained doctors are independent practices and Align was not involved in the development or approval of this promotion by the dental practice, and only learned of it after the fact,” the statement read.
“For more than 25 years, Align has been helping doctors transform smiles and change lives through healthy beautiful smiles using Invisalign aligners, and this promotion does not reflect our brand purpose.”
However, the orthodontics company owner, Dr. Jason Gladwell, maintained that the promotion was entirely responsible.
“Not everyone that comes into our office is going to be eligible; it’s not marketed to everyone. It is solely designed and marketed for the Youngsville Gun Club and Range,” he told WRAL.
“The promotion is non-transferable. The person who actually gets started with the Invisalign treatment has to actually be the eligible person,” he explained.
Would-be customers will also need to complete the necessary background checks in order to actually receive the Glock, Youngsville Gun Club & Range owner Kurt Lieberman added.
“It’s a process. They have to come; they have to have a valid driver’s license. They have to be a legal citizen; they have to be 21 and older,” Lieberman told the outlet.
“We do a background check here on site. That has to come back approved. They have to fill out all the paperwork.”
Neither Gladwell Orthodontics nor Youngsville Gun Club & Range immediately responded to The Post’s request for a comment on the situation.
Local attorney Ron Shook also said the plan is completely legal.
“Guns are like other property; You can buy and sell and dispose of them. But the distinction is guns are potentially inherently dangerous. So, there is regulation surrounding the transfer of firearms,” he explained.
“The concern here is that we’re not having firearms transferred to folks who do not qualify to possess them. This could be folks with criminal histories, mental health issues, drug and alcohol abuse issues, restraining orders against them – or in the case of case of a handgun – under the age of 21,” he added of the regulations in place.
North Carolina law also notably does not require firearm training in tandem with gun purchases, according to Everytown.
“Usually these transactions are coordinated through a licensed firearms dealer to ensure a background check is conducted and the recipient can legally possess a firearm,” Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) told WRAL of the process.
“In other cases, a gift card to the partnering business is handed out so that the recipient can work directly with the licensed dealer on the purchase.”
Gladwell said he was surprised that gun promotion stirred up so much attention when their good deeds go unnoticed.
“We would love if people could pay attention to some of our other charitable donations and campaigns,” he told WRAL.