NRA convention a haven for gun lovers

0 Comments | AFP, May, 2006

MILWAUKEE, United States (AFP) — Larry Schalk stands shoulder-to-shoulder with about a dozen other men in front of an artfully lit display of handguns.

He reaches forward and pulls the biggest one off the wall: the Smith and Wesson Magnum 500, a gun so hefty it would put Dirty Harry to shame.

"It's really too much for anything," he says with a smile that doesn't hide the longing in his eyes.

Schalk, 42, has about 20 guns at his rural Wisconsin home. Rifles. Shotguns. Handguns. Some are for hunting deer. Others for hunting turkey. The rest -- well, he just likes guns.

"It's freedom. It's security. And recreation," he says. "That's about it."

About 50,000 like-minded people descended upon Milwaukee, Wisconsin's convention center this weekend...