Gun Control

In what other country, but this, the U. S. of effing A., can you stroll into a cavernous public building (named War Memorial, no less, for the men who fought for this freedom) and under supervision of law enforcement officers and the Brady Bill view, handle, stroke, make gangster poses with and potentially purchase your very own firearm? Now, there are no guarantees that what you're going to find at a SunCoast Gun Show is the best deal you can get -- in fact, there's a fine chance that the .38 you're fondling as you imagine yourself tracking a perp through a puddle-pocked backalley is in fact priced for the impulse-spending yokel -- but there's fun to be had whether you fortify your arsenal or not. Where else but at a gun show do Confederate-flag-saluting graybeards, closet survivalists, weekend Rambos, firearm fanboys, muddy/bloody hunters, sideway-Glocking thug-lifers, and jerky vendors (yes, you heard right) so freely mingle? Even if you have no plans to take the Second Amendment out for a spin -- that's OK; hopefully you'll never need to plead the Fifth, either -- there's nowhere better in America to get high on the cordite-fumes of Americana. Lock and load Saturday at 9 a.m. and Sunday starting at 10 a.m. at War Memorial Auditorium (800 NE 8th St., Fort Lauderdale). Admission is $8 and free for kids under age 12 (but anyone under 18 has to come in with an adult). Call 954-828-5380, or visit suncoastgunshows.com.
Sat., Nov. 28, 9 a.m.; Sun., Nov. 29, 10 a.m., 2009