An innocent Life magazine photo of dinner guests aiming harmless toy rifles — so nostalgic, so quaint! Actually, no. Not at all.
See, these guests are aiming at human targets. Specifically, young "models." (To show, you see, that they're harmless.) And if that doesn't sound quite creepy enough, check out this image:
That's right, "balloon-clad model was peppered mercilessly by guests at the party. They were astonished and distressed when balloons failed to break when hit." The guns' impotence, in other words, protects the model's modesty. One wonders exactly what ad this poor girl answered, whether this was standard practice when demonstrating a children's toy (the mind boggles at the possibilities for doll trials) and whether this was intended as a backhanded jab at male virility. Out of those geezers' cold, dead hands, indeed.
The Emptiness Of Gun Porn: Burlesque Dancers As Game, 1947 [Ptak Science Books]