Mark Holmes

Wadley, Alabama

“So I imagine the owner of a gun shop must have been pretty happy when Donald Trump was elected,” I said.

“Well, to tell you the truth, it probably would have been better for my business if Hillary had won,” Mark replied.

“Oh, yeah? Why’s that?”

“When Obama was first elected, everybody bought guns like crazy thinking that he was going to pass all kinds of laws making them tough to get. If Hillary had won, I suspect the same thing would have happened. Although Trump says he’ll get the ‘Hearing Protection Act’ passed and that should help me out.”

“‘Hearing Protection Act’? What’s that?”

“It makes noise suppressors legal and easier to get”

“Noise suppressors?

“Yeah, they’re more commonly known as silencers, although none of them work like you see on TV. For people who shoot a lot, it makes a big difference for hearing loss.”

“Huh,” I said. “So do you think it would be a problem getting it through Congress if they called it the ‘Favorite Tool of Mafia Assassins Act’?”

Mark laughed. “Yeah, I suppose it would.”