A Wisconsin based glassware company named BensShot has recently grabbed headlines for its unconventional decision to offer its staff an unconventional holiday bonus. Straying away from a traditional cash offer, the company has instead offered each one of their employees a gift card to a local gun store allowing them the opportunity to redeem a gun of their choice.
According to BuzzFeed News, each card is worth approximately $500, and each employee will need to pass a background test to even be eligible to redeem it for an actual gun. Speaking to Buzzfeed News, the co-founder of Benshot, Ben Wolfgram said the intention behind the gesture is to "give a gift .... of personal protection to keep employees safe." Wolfgram informed the publication that any member of the company's staff planning to purchase a firearm will have to undergo a basic training course on handgun safety and protocol.
It seems that an overwhelming majority of Benshot's 16 full-time employees were thrilled by the gift cards, and have already made use of them. "There were a couple employees who said they already had handguns so they got a rifle instead," Wolfgram revealed. Only two employees are said to have declined the offer, one of whom who made the decision on account of her husband owning "a bunch of guns already," and the fact that she did not hunt, or harbor any desire to "carry [a gun] on her person for protection."
