It only took four days for someone in the gun industry to pull together a press release reminding you that if Jennifer Hudson’s family had a firearm handy, they might not be in their terrible situation. The release, which went out yesterday, begins:

Tragedy strikes in a Chicago home leaving 3 people dead and an Oscar winner forced to identify the bodies of her family.

Is this a press release or a movie script? We’re riveted. Luckily, it continues.

Jennifer Hudson’s mother and brother were gunned down in their home Friday. Could an invaluable device have saved their lives? It’s called The BackUp and it is a bedside shotgun rack.

A bedside shotgun rack, you say? We find that hard to believe. Luckily, a commercial and the full press release are after the jump.

Could a Bedside Shotgun Rack Have Saved Jennifer Hudson’s Family from Tragic Death? October 28, 2008

COULD A BEDSIDE SHOTGUN RACK HAVE SAVED JENNIFER HUDSON’S FAMILY FROM TRAGIC DEATH?

Chicago, IL (MMD Newswire) October 28, 2008 — Tragedy strikes in a Chicago home leaving 3 people dead and an Oscar winner forced to identify the bodies of her family.

Jennifer Hudson’s mother and brother were gunned down in their home Friday. Could an invaluable device have saved their lives? It’s called The BackUp and it is a bedside shotgun rack.

Everyday, there are over 8,000 home invasions in America, many resulting in assault, rape, and murder. That’s according to a report by the US Department of Justice.

Whether it is someone known or a stranger entering the home, too many people in this country are paying with their lives during these home invasions. The Hudson family is just one of far too many Americans gunned down in their own home.

What can be done? Law enforcement and the government aren’t solving the problem. So law-abiding citizens are now forced to take their safety, security, and life into their own hands.

Shotguns are often weapons of choice at home because of their deterrent effect on assailants, their close-range stopping power, their affordability and their reduced risk of injury to innocent others from stray shot. But the problem is storing them in a place where you don’t have to turn your back on your assailant. Propped in the corner or under the bed takes valuable time to get to, and could cost you your life.

But now there is a solution. The BackUp makes them easily accessible during a time of need. Racked between the mattresses, The BackUp offers immediate access to the homeowner’s shotgun: in the hands, cocked and ready to defend in 2 seconds.

Home Security Expert Howard Pitts says, “A shotgun provides the most effective protection against home invasion. And The BackUp is a much safer and secure solution than having a shotgun in the corner or under the bed.”

The BackUp is made in America and the adjustable 2-foot by 2-foot rack assembles in minutes.

For more information, visit the website at www.the-backup.com

Available for immediate interview, contact company president John Peters at
(612) 605-3613 or email at press-info@the-backup.com.

Could a Bedside Shotgun Rack Have Saved Jennifer Hudson’s Family from Tragic Death? [Newswire]
Gun-rack promo uses Jennifer Hudson slaying to tout product [Chicago Tribune]