A gift that will blow you away

Tacky souvenirs are nothing new. They've been around since long before women were ripping each other's beehive hairdos to shreds fighting to catch a sweat-soaked hanky tossed by Elvis Presley.

But they've certainly hit some new heights - or depths - lately. Channellock (makers of tools for people who only like one TV station) will sell you a special edition Aaron Tippin signature pliers if you've just got way more money than you know what to do with.

And you've probably found nestled among your junk mail an invitation to apply for the Reba McEntire Credit Card. I was actually going to go for that one till I read the fine print and found out that even though Reba's name was all over the card, it was me that they expected to pay the bills.

But the absolute nadir has got to be the Travis Tritt Single Action Army 45 Revolver. That's right a gun. Yeah, a real one. Yes, friends, now you can honor your favorite Lynyrd Skynyrd-wannabe singer with a genuine working firearm perfect for collecting or displaying or for blowing away those pesky Billy Ray Cyrus fans.

Not just any gun, mind you, but a gun with Travis Tritt's name on the barrel, his initials on the frame, and the titles of some of his hits such as "Here's a Quarter" and "Anymore" on the cylinder. (Personally, I can't think why you'd want Travis Tritt's name on your firearm unless you want to frame him for a murder you plan to commit.) The ad plays up Tritt's outlaw image (he has a couple of unpaid parking tickets), but I don't remember the real outlaws of country music selling potential murder weapons as souvenirs - unless of course I just missed my chance to own the Johnny Cash "Ring of Fire" Flame-Thrower.

The official price of this gun is $1,650.00, but if you act now you can have it for the advance price of only $1,395.00. (And you always thought Saturday night specials were cheap.)

But wait, there's more, you also get an official lithograph of Travis playing cowboy, riding a horse. Each lithograph is signed and numbered, and according to the ad, "The signed portrait alone could be worth several hundred dollars" - depending of course on how much you pay for birdcage liners.