Gallery: Machine Gun Expo Is Down-Home Americana Gone Ballistic
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*Story Rush, a kindergarten teacher from Greenwood, AK, fires an M1919 Browning .30 caliber machine gun on the first night of OFASTS. "It is such an adrenaline rush," she says after stepping back from the weapon. It's her first time at the show, which she attends with her husband and 8-year-old son. "I grew up hunting with my dad so guns are nothing unusual for me," she says.*
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*Ryan, April and Olivia Ireland from Neosho, MO have their portrait taken with automatic weapons. "Everyone has a bucket list," April explains enthusiastically. "\[My husband\] wanted to jump out of a plane. I wanted to use the biggest guns to blow up a car. When you see your baby the first time as a mother you have that adrenaline. That's what I had when I was shooting."*
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*Connie Moser, a local singer from the nearby border town of Neosho, Missouri, sings the national anthem before shooting commences.*
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*An OFASTS attendee removes his shirt due to the extreme temperature. On the weekend of the shoot, the temperature in Wyandotte reached 102 degrees Fahrenheit.*
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*Pastor Mark Buzzard prays over the event and its participants before the first round of shooting. "Even though this is something that they \[Mike and Laura Friend\] offer to you for your enjoyment ... Jesus Christ is going to be the foundation of this shoot," he tells the crowd. "Please plant seeds in \[the participants\], father, that would be a landmark that would point unto you," he says. "Amen," the crowd echoes back. Mike Friend, the event's organizer, aims to create an environment that reflects his devoutly Christian lifestyle. "This is a family event in the Bible Belt," says Friend. "I want the event to have a tone that makes everyone feel comfortable." For this reason, he eschews the use or sale of alcohol or the use of sexualized marketing techniques at OFASTS.*
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*Attendees and exhibitors in a firing position that specializes in sniper rifles.*
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*Targets on the OFASTS range on the final day of shooting.*
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*Spectators look on as a series of planned explosions kick off the day's first round of live fire. An explosive ordnance team placed dozens of charges throughout the range for effect.*
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*A young boy is supported as he fires a fully automatic machine gun. Safety regulations at OFASTS are extremely tight with all shooters carefully monitored by exhibitors.*
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*Members of the L&L Machine Gun's exhibition team joke on the firing line.*
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*Carl Schiffman, an explosive ordnance disposal specialist, mixes bags of explosives with his team the night before the shoot. His company, based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, sponsors OFASTS each year and lays dozens of explosive charges throughout the range in order to enhance the experience for shooters.*
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*Mike Friend, the organizer of OFASTS, is harnessed into a helicopter out of which he'll fire a machine gun at explosives-laden cars.*
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*A young girl peers into the turret of a tank outside the shooting range. In addition to the tank, organizers brought an armored personnel carrier, a half-track troop carrier and a military helicopter. All were operational and available for rides for $70 per person.*
Photos: Jon Snyder/Wired.com14pete-muller-9
*Spectators and shooters enjoy hamburgers and hot dogs during a break in shooting.*
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*OFASTS attendees hang out in a tent near the firing line.*
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*OFASTS exhibitors and attendees camp on the ridge line behind the shooting grounds. "This event is about camaraderie and people being together," explains Kendall Beaver, a gunsmith who currently lives in Gramby, MO. "This brings people a lot of joy and they look forward to it all year."*
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*An exhibitor from L&L Machine Guns loads rounds during an evening shoot.*
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*Night shooting illuminated by a flare.*
