Raise your handguns!

After months of anticipation, I finally fired my first handgun. Growing up in Canada, handguns are somewhat of an exotic hobby. And by exotic, I mean clandestine. Obtaining one is next to impossible, as you can see here.

But in the Great State of Texas, where freedom reigns and motorcycle helmets are optional, almost anyone of legal age can walk into a gun store - and after a quick background check on the FBI database - walk out with a couple Smith & Wesson 500 Revolvers. Don't want to deal with a pesky background check? No problem! Just show up at a gun show and buy from a private individual. No fuss, no muss.

I know Canadians love to stick up their noses at loose American gun laws, and exploit the United States' higher murder rate as a salve for Canada's cultural insecurity. But we should celebrate the things that make us different!

Yes, the gun show loophole should probably be closed, and perhaps there should be a longer waiting period for handgun purchases, but to strip America of the easily accessible handgun would be akin to slapping the cigarette out of the mouth of James Dean. Like blue jeans and the Chevy Cadillac, the handgun is America!