The 34th annual gun show took place at the Cow Palace this weekend. Much to the consternation of Mark Leno, Gavin Newsom, and District Attorney Kamala Harris, who have all lobbied unsuccessfully to rid the popular gun cotillion at the Cow Palace, saying the shows "contribute to the proliferation of illegal guns and homicide rates in San Francisco," the show was a success. Why so successful this year? Oddly enough, the tanking economy is one reason. "It's been a very good year for dealers," chirped an anonymous rifle dealer. "There's a lot of concern out there about everything. Better safe than sorry." (We can only assume "everything" means that people are getting poorer and thus more desperate. That, or pirates.) Another reason, according to yet another anonymous dealer, "People are afraid the Obama administration will ban assault weapons."