Eagle bar to give away AR-15 rifle on ‘conspiracy theory trivia’ night? Welcome to Idaho

Michael Deeds
·2 min read
35

If you fall asleep each night hugging your gun safe and listening to “The Alex Jones Show,” a downtown Eagle bar has a perfect evening planned for you.

Old State Saloon, 50 E. State St., is hosting “Conspiracy Theory Trivia” on Wednesday night.

The prize? An AR-15! You know, the semi-automatic firearm in the news all the time! The military-style one that makes many Americans mistakenly think the “A” and “R” stand for Assault Rifle!

What a blast, right? Will Dorothy Moon be there?

Go get your QAnon on, Boise.

This contest is a match made in Jewish space laser heaven. As Old State Saloon points out on Facebook, you can “Uncover the truth they don’t want you to know AND win an AR-15 ... !”

The truth, it appears to me, is that someone has a twisted sense of humor.

This ain’t no joke, though. The AR-15 retails for $1,200 and is being provided by Nampa sponsor Founding Fathers Armory. During “Police Trivia” last Wednesday, Old State Saloon gave away 500 rounds of Winchester 5.56 mm ammo, according to its Facebook page.

Old State Saloon owner Mark Fitzpatrick holds the AR-15 rifle that will be used as a prize.
Old State Saloon owner Mark Fitzpatrick holds the AR-15 rifle that will be used as a prize.

Settle down, North Enders. No matter how many chemtrails this bar full of contestants might have inhaled, there is no need to fret. As Old State Saloon explains: “Yes, of course the winner will have to pass a(n) FBI background check before taking ownership of the weapon.“

The giveaway’s rules and regulations are listed on the Old State Saloon website. (And, yes, that’s an “alternative fact” where it says the trivia contest is May 30. It’s definitely Aug. 30.) Registration for teams starts at 6:30. The trivia begins at 8 p.m. Old State Saloon owner Mark Fitzpatrick will be the host.

Replacing the former Gathering Place bar, Old State Saloon opened earlier this year in the old Orville Jackson’s Eagle Drug Store. In addition to tempting followers with AR-15-related fun, the bar’s recent Facebook activities include sharing a photo of the historic building with a rainbow in the sky and the message: “Praise God, the Almighty!”

And if you don’t think this trivia night and prize are such a nifty idea? Well ... yeah. Opinions will vary. The handful of Facebook comments — I’m shocked there weren’t more — makes that clear under the initial Old State Saloon post.

“Yup. I can definitely hear the Founding Fathers spinning in their graves,” wrote one person.

“I think this is the most amazing post I’ve ever seen on Facebook,” countered another.

As is often the case when Idaho does extremist-Idaho stuff, word has spread to other states, too.

“I really need help convincing my wife,” wrote one commenter, “that we need to move to Idaho.”

Too bad the prize isn’t one of those “Idaho — No Vacancy” baseball caps.