When it began to go viral a Change.org petition was calling for open carry of guns at this summer’s Republican National Convention in Cleveland, the joke that followed was this: “The only way to stop a bad Trump delegate with a gun is a good Cruz delegate with a gun.”

The petition proved to be satirical, but over 50,000 gun lovers were convinced it was real.

The fever for guns, and for what some are calling “constitutional carry”, is as hot as ever. For those who don’t want to carry a gun on their hip at all times, it’s becoming more difficult to grasp what’s real and unreal, and what’s downright surreal.

Take for instance what’s real.

An ad in the Columbus Alive says the ladies can go to Vance gun stores for over 40 styles of concealed carry handbags. In Clintonville, at a store called Gun Envy, you can rent a machine gun and invite all your pals to party.

Yet what’s deadly serious is that earlier this year two Glock 22 semi-automatic handguns went missing from Gun Envy after shipped via US Postal Service, this according to Columbus police. The ATF is investigating.

Anti-War Advocate: Is there a case that can be made for war?

Pro-War Advocate: Well, yes. In a word: Hitler!

Anti-War Advocate: Is "Hitler!" a case for future wars? Let me suggest some reasons why I think it isn't. First, the world of the 1940s is gone, its colonialism and imperialism replaced by other varieties, its absence of nuclear weapons replaced by their ever-present threat. No matter how many people you call "Hitler," none of them is Hitler, none of them is seeking to roll tanks into wealthy nations. And, no, Russia did not invade Ukraine any of the numerous times you heard that reported in recent years. In fact, the U.S. government facilitated a coup that empowered Nazis in Ukraine. And even those Nazis are not "Hitler!"