Another bad idea

Pastel colored hand guns. I'm told they're supposed to appeal to the ladies. How fracking stupid do the gun companies think women are? If you're interested in a hand gun for whatever reason (personal protection, penis envy, Midol makes you crazy, who knows?), why on earth would any woman with two brain cells to rub together want a weapon that looks like it's an accessory for a Barbie playhouse?

The S.O. and I stopped into the Cabela's store in Prairie du Chien recently. We were camping at a nearby Corps of Engineers campground (Blackhawk Park, located a few miles north of Lock & Dam No. 9 on the Mississippi) for a couple nights, noticed the Cabela's enroute to the campground, and decided to check out the camping and RV-ing stuff the store carried. The first thing I noticed (as I usually do when stepping into a Cabela's) was, holy wah, their prices are high compared to some other vendors. The next thing were the clamps on the stuffed moose's ears -- that was bizarre. I really should have taken a photo. But I digress.

Shortly after we stepped into the store, a Cabela's minion thrust a stack of advertising material at me while doing a sales pitch for their credit card. Considering that we get to a Cabela's about once every 3 years (I'm much more of an REI type when it comes to outdoor gear), there was no way I'd fall for the credit card pitch but I did take the flyers and then found a convenient place to sit and read through them while test driving a folding recliner in the camping area (conclusion: overpriced and uncomfortable). Lo and behold, tucked into the Mother's Day specials was a pitch for a 9 mm Ruger offered in multiple colors, including purple.

Yep, you read that right. Purple. Sort of. The official name of the color is "Lady Lilac." It appears that in their never-ending quest to make firearms attractive to persons of all ages the manufacturers are resorting to making weapons look more and more like toys. You know, if you're wondering why toddlers are killing more Americans than terrorists do perhaps the answer can be traced back to the morons at various companies who decided women would prefer to purchase handguns that strongly resemble toys. You know, if it looks like a toy to me, just what does it look like to the kids in the households where women are dumb enough to own them? If you want to own a gun, ladies, at least invest in a weapon that looks lethal, not cute.