"We here in SoCal still have the occasional Crossroads of the West Gunshow at the Orange County Fairgrounds, but if there are 1500 tables, 1400 of them will be black guns":
I find this statement interesting since Kalifornia has effectively outlawed the private sale and ownership of even semi-automatic "assault weapons" lookalikes. So those 1400 tables full of black guns must be the solid plastic castings they use in movies.
Jim
Not quite.
I don't live in CA so don't hold me to the details. It is still quite possible to own a 'black gun' in CA. There are some strange rules and weird parts (Monsterman Grip, Bullet Button mag release)and odd rules but it is possible to build/buy an 'Off List' AR and legally own it in CA.