A cryptocurrency influencer is facing backlash after sharing a photo of his wife pointing a gun at him whilst promoting an NFT collection… all while a child is seated behind them.
‘King Kong’, an influencer based in Bali who is affiliated with NFT collection Goblintown, posted a photo showing him, his wife, and a minor in a car. In the photo, King Kong’s wife points a gun at him, and he compares Goblintown to major NFT collections Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) and Azuki.
While it’s not clear whether the gun is real or not, the controversial image certainly generated some backlash in the comments section.
Yes, it’s King Kong
King Kong, with over 15,000 followers on Twitter, is a long-time member of the Goblintown community, an NFT collection known for, well, digital pictures of cranky looking goblins. Goblintown is owned by Web3 company Truth Labs.
In May 2023, Truth Labs reached an IP licensing agreement with King Kong. The agreement will let the influencer earn a portion of royalty revenue with every sale of a Goblintown NFT. Was it also a lightbulb moment for you as well, reader?
King Kong, unsurprisingly, received a fair amount of criticism from both the NFT community and others online. Users on social media were primarily concerned about the prospect of waving a potentially real gun around an unarmed, defenceless child.
In the photo, the child also appeared to be holding a video game console.
“I can see the joke you’re getting at but guns aren’t jokes. Little bit more responsibility, man,” wrote an NFT community member.
… to which King Kong responded, in the most American way imaginable: “Don’t worry, we’re taught at a young age how to dodge bullets and grenades. Thank you for your concern.”
Bro?!?!?!?!?!?!??!
“I don’t care if it’s unloaded. I don’t care if you cleared it. Be more careful. This goes against every rule of firearm safety,” commented another NFT devotee.
King Kong, again, replied: “You sure live in a different world than mine.”
Common sense
Again, while it is not clear whether the gun in the photo is real or not, it appears to be a Glock 19 pistol (or at least a replica) made in Austria by a company called Glock. The Austrian brand is most known for its polymer-framed pistols, but it also manufactures field knives and entrenching tools.
Glock’s guns have, in past decades, become a “powerhouse” and weapon of choice in the US. According to NPR, not only have Glock’s guns appeared in Hollywood films like Die Hard 2, it has also become the preferred weapon of the US Navy.
On Reddit and Twitter, users pointed out that the influencer’s wife wasn’t just pointing the gun at her husband, her hand was also on the trigger.
“Have you ever taken a gun safety course or maybe tried using common sense? FFS,” slammed a crypto influencer, REKT.
The photo remains live on King Kong’s Twitter account at the time of writing and he hasn’t shed any light on whether the gun was real or not. Looks like the influencer is unfazed by the online criticism.
