Men Going Window Shopping

 Went to my first gun show in like twenty years. If you've never been, you might think they are flashy extravaganzas where bikini clad models come out on stage displaying the latest gun fashions from Glock, like the lovely Carol Merrill did on the old gameshows. You'd be wrong. These shows are basically flea markets. There is some good hardware for sale, and a lot of old-timey Civil War stuff as well as modern versions of the same. 

I grew up on TV westerns and "Combat!" and always liked guns. I've owned a few and fired many more than that. Shooting is a lot of noisy fun. It really is. My brother-in-law came down with my sister and she and a cousin went to lunch as BIL and I went perusing the goods. I hadn't really known this about BIL but he's a bit of a collector. He has no interest in concealed carry and home defense is actually kind of an afterthought. He just likes guns and going to the range and shooting them. I respect that. 

We did discuss the likely inevitability of civil unrest and the need for guns to protect ourselves from angry maga roaming the streets and or real military enforcing Martial Law when that becomes a Trump Executive Order in his divinely ordained quest to make America great again, in his own obscene, ridiculous image. That seems more likely every day. 

We're in Illinois. I can't legally buy a gun, ammunition or- as I found out- a switchblade knife. Illinois has stricter gun laws than most other states. You need to have a "Firearm Owners ID" (a FOID card) to purchase all of the above. It turned out, as many signs on the table displayed, to even touch the weapons. An old guy explained to us that the law meant you can't legally hold a firearm in this state, but I think it had more to do with the business perspective of, "Don't waste my time handling the merchandise when you can't buy!". Some of the purveyors did invite us to pick up the guns without flashing the ID. If you want to get the feel of how freaking heavy an 1860's Colt was and is, you really need to pick it up. It's heavy, dude. One fella explained that it was called a "horse pistol" because if you aimed for a cavalry guy charging at you, you'd probably hit the horse and then you could beat the guy with the pistol. They shoot horse, don't they? It was a cute story, and I got the point.

BIL and I agreed that Illinois' gun restrictions are good. Even back in the 60's before the US went gun-happy, there was a waiting, or "cooling off" period of like 3-5 days so that a guy couldn't get mad at the wife, go buy a gun and then go back and shoot her in hot blood. Makes sense to me. If you need a gun RIGHT NOW you should have taken care of that weeks ago. Killing in cold blood is a whole other set of problems and a reason why we have prisons. 

In the Confederate states and those aspiring to become confederate states, the rules are different. They differ in the aspect that they have very few rules. When I lived in Tennessee, I bought a gun at a gun store, and was advised that I could step out and have a smoke while the background check was run, and the guy was right! Of course, I'm a Ferrerman with no criminal convictions, so it was a formality. I guess they still do it that way at least, but 20-some years ago you had to attend a class to conceal carry and now they have "constitutional carry" which translates to concealed and open carry, as Jesus and the other founders evidently ordained, with no class time or cards. Who knew? Regardless, in those states you generally leave the store with your gun that day, once you complete the background check. It is what it is and until Trump takes the guns away (and he will) it'll stay that way.

Will I get a FOID card? Probably. I never know about me though. I can be a Johnny Fvckaround and let things slide but if I opt to have a gun, I'd certainly prefer to be legal. Worst case scenario of this current regime, legal won't matter much when the streets are running red with blood as civilians take to them to enforce their master's will. Many weapons on the battlefield as they say. The fewer rules a society has, you will find they get to a point where people are making up their own. That's like The White House now. That can't be good