I am happy to say that when we replaced our Dakota, the sales person at the Ford dealership made a point of asking about the weight we proposed to tow and make it clear that he would not participate in a sale of a truck that could not handle the trailer weight.
We don't know the circumstances of the sale were, but if the sales person knew that TV would be inadequate, he certainly should have cautioned against it. Maybe s/he did.
And yes, saying that someone should be taken out and shot is a figure of speech that one does not take literally. I've used it many times myself. But under the present circumstances, perhaps, it is a metaphor that might be best left for another time.