The Soldering Iron of Justice*

For a while now, we have been contemplating buying a gun.

Yeah, yeah. Kids, ammo, brains spattered. I've heard the whole spiel. But I grew up around a fair number of guns. Brains still relatively intact. NYAB's entire family has done stints in the military and are all familiar with all manner of firearms. The only gunshot victim in the bunch was over 40 -- and from all I've heard about the guy, probably high -- when the unfortunate incident occurred.  Besides which, if I'm really worried about the YP blowing his head off, all I have to do is buy one of these to guarantee he won't come with in 10 feet of it -- what with it being For Girls and all.

So have your own opinions, but rest assured you aren't likely to change mine.  Aside from the protection angle, hey, maybe I'll take target practice on the flippin' bunnies and squirrels in our general vicinity.

Anyway, as a first step at shopping around, we went to a gun show a few weekends ago. It was very enlightening, no less so our No-Longer-Quite-So-Closeted-Gun-Aficionado-Colleague who took us around and explained the nuances of the various things we were looking at. Like: You can't buy a Glock with a manual safety. Like: Guns that actually look like guns, as opposed to weird tiny polymer jobbies resembling Star Trek tasers, are a lot more expensive. Like, if you were ever in the market for a Nazi helmet (or flag, or buttons, or dishware,) gun shows are a good place to try. Also up for grabs at this particular show were some ancient -- I mean, vintage -- Star Wars action figures. We did not seize that opportunity, however.

But the best part of the gun show was that it was occupying the North Building of the event site where we were, while there was a Wines of Virginia expo and tasting in the South Building. It's times like that when I especially miss my parents not living within an hour's drive, as they would have patronized both events AND smoked half a pack apiece in the parking lot going between the two. (ATF -- not just a government agency, but a lifestyle!) And it is funny to me that I'm actually in a life where -- being married to a teetotaler -- I stand a better chance of filling a gun rack than a wine rack. Ah, well. At least the gun rack would be less likely to require multiple purchases to refill as I depleted the  initially purchased inventory...

*And if you know what that title is from, you're ... old and lame, like me! 

Comments

[Sparkling Cipher]

I grew up around guns, too, mostly shotguns. I think handguns are viewed a little differently and should be treated with a bit more caution with children in the house. You don't see many toy shotguns, and real ones are heavy.

For Sweets's birthday, he received a new gun cabinet that holds 12 guns, unlike his other two cabinets, which hold only six. Yeah, our peanut and any future peanuts are going to know all about guns - and gun safety.

My dad would have been in heaven! Guns and wine? In one building? Add a craft show and mom would trade a second honeymoon for a weekend there.