Scenes From the Real America

Created: April 06, 2009 10:54 | Last updated: July 31, 2020 00:00

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I spent Saturday at the bi-annual Knob Creek Machine Gun Shoot, right outside of Louisville, Ky. Gun enthusiasts of all stripes were there — from the National Rifle Association and sportsmen to militia members to white supremacists and Obama birthers. Here’s a collection of choice photos from the show (after the jump):

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Above you’ll see the view of the main attraction—a range of metal cans, cars, and a refrigerator being shot at by dozens of military grade weapons.

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The view from the other side.

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Some of the better merchandise from the exhibit tens. This one says “Prepare for Obama’s Citizen Army (ACORN + Nation of Islam)”

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T.P.S. (Utz) is a vendor of weapon and survivalist handbooks which also sells The Anarchist Cookbook and “Hit Man,” a guide to assassination.

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Minnesota’s Oak Grove Arms was selling these T-shirts.

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Selling a scimitar inside the exhibitors’ tent.

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The Nazi merchandise table was notably quiet, and seller Mark Stevens told me that business was slow. But classic German designs were fairly popular with attendees. For example:

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Also:

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And also:

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Sadly, I couldn’t open the plastic to read the book.

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The Obama Birthers were here, at one table located near the NRA’s booth, getting a mix of receptive conversations and brush-offs. Here’s Carl Swensson of RiseUpAmerica, who has started a Citizen Jury to indict President Obama.

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The Birthers had two sets of petitions, one just for members (or retired members) of the military who wanted to join Orly Taitz’s legal actions against Obama. Taitz is the blonde woman with the pink nametag, obscured slightly by Theresa Padget, the woman in the sweatshirt.

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Some good deals on ammo.

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The high cost of shooting a machine gun. Spending 75 rounds from an AK-47 would run you $120.

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The results!

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A pre-WWI maxim gun, displayed by Kent and Kathy Lomont of Idaho, affixed with the infamous Sean Delonas cartoon. The Lomonts declined to explain what the cartoon meant.

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The sellers of this T-shirt reported that all three boxes of it had sold out by 3 p.m. on Saturday.

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The vast majority of T-shirts were, of course, much more innocuous.

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