UPDATED: 11:24 am EDT July 30, 2009

ANDERSON, S.C. -- An Upstate boat and tractor dealer is offering a voucher for a free assault rifle with major purchases.The marquee outside Carolina Tractor and Marine reads Free AK-47 With Purchase. A partner in the dealership, Henry Jordan, said he got the idea after seeing a story on FOX News Channel about a Missouri car dealership about a week ago.Jordan said he is trying to clear out his end-of-year inventory so he can begin ordering for next year. He said he was just looking for something that would catch peoples attention.We thought, You know what? Every man ought to have a fishing boat, a pickup truck and a tractor and they certainly need a good gun to protect themselves and their family, Jordan said. We believe in the 2nd Amendment. We believe, in fact, its a mans responsibility to protect his family.

Jordan said that since he started the promotion he has sold a boat and a riding lawnmower. He said the free-gun deal will run until Labor Day. Anderson County Sheriff John Skipper said he does not have a problem with the promotion.The AK-47 is a gun that anybody can purchase as long as they qualify, Skipper said. I think any gun in the hands of a responsible person is worth having.In 1994, Congress passed a ban on the sale of assault weapons, including the AK-47, to civilians as part of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act. That ban expired in September 2004.