Josh, Lindsay, and Mackenzie

It's been a while since either of us have experienced anything particularly "blog worthy", however the events of Saturday morning and afternoon certainly fit the bill. Saturday morning, Josh and I got up early and went downtown to meet three of his friends and attend a Gun Show. That's right, a GUN SHOW. I'm pretty sure this gives us extra bonus points on our "What qualifies us as true Texans" list. Let me see if I can paint this picture for you...

Picture it: men wearing and carrying guns while waiting in line to get in. Children are right next to them in line like they're used to the fact some man has a rifle over his shoulder. Now, if you think that's weird, imagine walking back into time as you pass through the archway and into "the gun zone". There are kiosks and tables set up everywhere for individuals (and companies) to sell their gun wares. These range from real wartime swag and guns (lots dedicated to WWII) to present automatic weapons, ammo, knives, etc. Basically everything you'd expect to see at a "gun show". Now for the things you don't expect to see at a gun show: heart-shaped candles, light-up toys for the kids, novels (totally un-gun related), animal skins and shells, VHS tapes (like Star Trek and Star Wars), kitchen knives, silverware, camouflage baby bibs, sunglasses, samurai swords, jewelry, leather goods (belts, rigs, etc.), nascar stuff (though you could argue I should have seen that coming), and girls autographing the calendar they are selling which has them posing with weapons of destruction. Apparently, the gun show isn't just an opportunity for the lung cancer patients and rednecks to come out of the woodwork to ogle over guns and drool over the accessories, but also an opportunity for others to pawn off their own crap regardless of its relevance.

Just so I can give you a more accurate feel for the day, I wrote down a few of the key quotes overheard as we walked around the show:

"After next year's election we'll only be able to bring in BB guns." - courtesy of a man wearing camo and carrying two different long guns.
"I like to get them in black; black goes with everything." - courtesy of a very large man who was NOT joking.
"I carry a .45 and it adds at least a pound to the weight of my purse, so keep that in mind when you buy your gun." - courtesy of one of the women working "The Gun Zone" booth.
"Do either of you have a pair of dykes?" - courtesy of a man working a booth. Apparently dykes is another word for scissors.
"Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and think it's a gas problem." - I didn't hear this one, Josh shared it with me, but it merited inclusion.
"Now that's good jerky." - I actually said this one, but it summed up the reaction to all the homemade jerky available. It really was good jerky...
"My kid got your honor student pregnant." - This is a bumper sticker, but it gives you a good visual of the kinds of people we were encoutering.
"The only domestic inclination I have is that I live in a house." - Also a bumper sticker, but this was actually ON someone's scooter they were using to get around in during the show.

Before I leave you, I thought I'd share some key tidbits about Texas and guns: 1) In Texas, there is no registration needed to own a gun as long as you're not carrying it concealed, 2) In Texas, if you purchase your gun at a gun show, there is no waiting period (unless of course you have the unfortunate luck of sharing a name with someone who has committed a crime somewhere...then you have to wait 10 days to clear).

It was a fun experience, and we got to eat delicious pizza afterwards, so it was a win-win. I hope your weekends were just as exciting.