Photo credit: Las Vegas Police

||| Las Vegas Police |||

After the infamy of the proliferation of the so-called “fake news” comes “fake billboards” with the possible intent to mislead people and malign reputations. A Las Vegas billboard was vandalized to scream a shocking and violent message: “Shoot a school kid only $29.” The vandalism was discovered early Thursday morning.

The original billboard read, “Shoot a.50 caliber only $29.” It was an advertisement meant for a local firing range called Battlefield Vegas, which is owned and operated by veterans that features a “military-style complex.” It is located a mere block from the Las Vegas Strip, along with additional “outdoor training areas.”

Billboard company Lamar immediately took down the vandalized billboard at the request of the authorities. They also vowed to cooperate with law enforcement agencies as they probe the matter further.

A guerrilla artists collective who called themselves INDECLINE took responsibility for vandalizing the original billboard. A spokesperson said they did it because they believe “it was time for us to address gun reform and to do something louder than an AR-15.”

The group also referred to the school shooting in Parkland, Florida that claimed 17 lives on February 14 as their “inspiration” for their rebellious and possibly illegal act.

Members of the group used vinyl stickers to change the original advertising and also added their call at the bottom of the line, “Defend Lives, Reform Laws.”

There were other gun range billboards posted all over Las Vegas but INDECLINE admitted that they singled out the one they changed “because of their aggressive name and location.”

INDECLINE is bragging that compared before when their acts were met with criticisms, their latest vandalism “has been flooded with support and donations.”

They also defended their act and said: “Some of the negative comments claim what we did was insensitive, but if you think that this is crossing the line and shooting children in a school without protest is OK, you need to recalibrate your thinking.”

Authorities have not yet clarified if the business affected, the legally-operated Battlefield Vegas owned by veterans, and the billboard maker, Lamar, would be interested in filing any probable cases against the offending artists’ group who claimed a private property as their own canvass and dictated their own message, completely different from the original ad.

Source:

http://www.keyt.com/news/national-world/vandalized-billboard-shoot-a-school-kid-only-29/710111427