Bringing out the big guns

by David Safier

No, the headline "Bringing out the big guns" isn't another example of a gun-related metaphor. It's a literal statement of fact, referring to "Shot•Show, Where the Industry Comes Together": the big gun show in Vegas last week.

Media Matters has a big story on the show, and an exclusive. Apparently, photos are prohibited, but MM has a slew of photos from the show. Let me put it this way; these folks aren't appealing to duck hunters.

For instance, there's this.

And this.

And this, complete with sales pitch:

"Our dual tube feature maximizes operator lethality," said sales representative Chad Enos as he brandished a floor model of the KSG 12-gauge, a new pistol-grip shotgun produced by the American firearms manufacturer Kel-Tec. "This bad boy looks like it shouldn't be legal. But it is."

When the Founding Fathers wrote the Second Amendment, they were thinking about a gun you had to stop and reload every time you wanted to fire. I need an originalist to explain to me how the Glock with an extended magazine and the new KSG shotgun are included in the original intent of the Founding Fathers.