"Shooter's Bra" is a Big Hit for Charity
After skipping last year, a local charity event reappeared for the third time in Northampton, Massachusetts. The Gazebo (lingerie boutique) and Women's times (newspaper) co-sponsored the "Show Us Your Bra" gala event for the benefit of the breast form fund (to assist mastectomy patients with the expense of custom breast forms) . There are times when humor in life can be an appropriate way of dealing with a serious topic.
On Saturday night, September 6, 2001 a few hundred people paid $20 each to enjoy wine, hors d'oeuvres, and music while observing a large gallery full of the strangest bras you could imagine. Out of 170 three-dimensional "works of art" only nine were chosen for the live auction. The ingredients for some of those entries happened to be softball gloves, pinecones, fake beehives, and sterling silver.
This entry happened to be one of the chosen few. The title was "38 special". Ingredients used were: "empty 38 special shell casings, with frontal accents of 44 magnum and 12 gauge projecting from a background of red glitter". Also printed was "For the woman or man who would like to give the message that they are not to be trifled with" (picture that imagery!). Near the end of the gala event, the best bras were taken into a back room, then brought out one at a time for the bidding process. The third bra to be bid on got a really big buildup by the moderator, then when the model walked out wearing the "38 Special" the applause was deafening. When the bidding was over it was sold for $90. This entry was very well received and only highly positive comments were heard. There are many ways to bring firearms and ammunition to the attention of non-gun owners. The reception you receive often depends upon the presentation. Be positive and be creative!
PS. Under the category of "Strange Laws in Massachusetts": Chapter 180 gun laws of 1998.
After a technical question from a friend who heard about the event, we did some research and discovered that the empty shell casings are now classified as "ammunition". This means anyone in possession of this bra may receive "not more than 2 years in a jail or house of correction or a fine of not more than $500 for a first offense if they have not had an FBI background check, been fingerprinted, photographed, entered into the criminal history records board and received a valid license to carry firearms. Apparently we have some very clever legislators who either feel threatened by this sort of item or else are not quite sure what sort of laws they are passing.
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