Sunday, April 8, 2007

Acres Of Guns

Yikes! The National Rifle Association is having its convention here next weekend. The convention was moved here from Columbus, Ohio, to punish that city for passing a ban outlawing the possession or sale of semiautomatic firearms. It will be the biggest convention in St. Louis' history. The meeting will be held at America's Center (get it? America's Center? It's our convention center and we are in the center of the country. Ha ha!) and the adjacent Edward Jones Dome. The dome is our football arena, home of the Rams, and was built onto the convention center to provide additional space for huge meetings. Note the Arch motif on the sign. No better or worse than the way the Statue of Liberty is treated in New York.

You can carry a concealed weapon in Missouri with a permit. There may be fifty or sixty thousand more on the streets next weekend. Fortunately, I will be in beautiful Las Vegas, a peacable city. Las Vegas' marketing slogan is, "What happens here, stays here." Use your imagination.

I drive by this billboard every day on my way home from work and I have to say it creeps me out. At least they didn't put Charlton Heston's glaring visage on the sign. Heston, for many years the president of the NRA, is famous for responding to those who favor gun control by proclaiming they would have to pry his weapon "from my cold, dead hands"

MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY'S POSTS: While I'm away in the desert, special guest blogger U "R" US of Chicago Flair CDPB fame will post images of a visit to his home town.

7 comments:

edwin s said...

I don't need to know that there are acres of guns. That is terrifying!

Kerry-Anne said...

Wow, that is scary. Glad to hear you're going to be far away while it's all taking place! We're still having lots of debates on the issue of gun control in South Africa, but I have to say that I really don't like guns at all and wouldn't feel comfortable having one in my house.

Carol E. said...

ewww, I'd leave town, too! Charlton Heston can take a flying leap.

Bob Crowe said...

Carol, I meant to be a bit sarcastic by saying I would be in a peaceable city, Las Vegas next weekend. My wife and I are heading that way tonight to spend s few days away in Death Valley, our favorite place to clear out our heads. It's two hours drive from LV so that's where you fly through. LV is a place where you can go out into the desert just out of town, rent a fully automatic machine gun and blast away for the joy of it. But we will spend our anniversary there, rather than dining on roast rattlesnake out in the boonies.

Bob

U "R" Us AKA Captain Crowe said...

I was going to post a shot I took of this sign while I was in St. Louis, but dad forbade me to do so since he was already planning this post. He got the better picture anyhow, having staked it out and returned when he knew light would be at its best.

Olive said...

Hahahaa! you're right, this is even worse than The sign I found!!! Some things in the US make me fall in love with it, but other things make me never want to step on its soil...

Anonymous said...

The funny part?

Las Vegas has more concealed carry people than most states in the US.

Its also legal in Las Vegas to openly carry a weapon without any permit.

You can also with the required federal paperwork own machine guns in Nevada.

Nevada is loaded with guns and gun owners. Vegas has 14 gun shops alone and some of the largest gun shows in the USA. Read up on the gun shows at Cashman Field.

You will never be "safe" from your paranoia of guns.