A US car dealer has seen his sales soar after he launched a promotion offering customers a free handgun with every car.

Max Motors, a small car dealer in Butler, Missouri in the US Midwest, has seen sales quadruple since the introduction this week of a scheme offering customers either a $250 voucher for a gun or the alternative of a gas card.

Mark Muller, the owner of the dealership, said that he had sold more than 30 cars and trucks in the past three days but only two customers had opted for the gas card.

“We did it because of Barack Obama," Mr Muller said, referring to the Democratic presidential hopeful. "He said all those people in the Midwest, you’ve got to have compassion for them because they’re clinging to their guns and their Bibles. I found that quite offensive.”

Max Motors' website features an angry cartoon cowboy brandishing a gun in one hand and the spout of a petrol pump in the other. The headline beside him reads "Guns and Gas".

"We all go to church on Sunday and we all carry guns," Mr Muller said. "I've got a gun in my pocket right now. I have a rifle in my truck. We've got to shoot the coyotes out here, they're attacking our cows, our chickens."

The website advert carries a warning that all who choose the gun with their purchase are subject to an approved background check. Further down the ad, it explains "We are aware of the gasoline and crime problem in America" but adds "Max Motors, Country Dealer wants to be part of the solution and not part of the problem".

"We're not clinging to nothing," Mr Muller said. "We're just damn glad to live in a free country where you can have a gun if you want. This is the way it ought to be."

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