Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Bostodelphia 21 Gun Salute to the Firearms of 2007 Roundup

21 guns, in, um, more than 21 days as was promised back in December. Question: why did Cheesesteak start this series? Answer: guns are an integral part of American society, and their portrayal in the media is at time hysterical, worshipful, confused, and occasionally spot-on. Guns are of course one of the few legal consumer products whose proper use results in violence, with occasional mayhem, death, and destruction for good measure. By focusing on this selection of 21 guns in the media eye over 2007 Bostodelphia attempted to illuminate the media coverage and the consequences of a high rate of gun ownership by a populace that's very enthusiastic about their uses, whether those uses are as exercises of a Constitutional right or as tools of law enforcement and foreign policy.

Ok, yeah, there were a few cop-outs along the way (I take the blame for the M3, I was out of ideas that day). There's also the fact that a real 21 gun salute is 7 guns, fired 3 times, as I should have known right off the bat having played Taps at many Memorial Day services in my teens. Will this be repeated next year? Well, I suspect a 21 Cheese Salute of 2008 will be in the works. Check back in 11 months and find out.

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