This is the second year that Arizona's Scottsdale Gun Club has hosted a "pictures with Santa" event during the holiday season. And, as ABC's Nightline explains, "Nothing says Christmas like a family photo with Santa and an AK-47."

"For the Rea family's photo with Santa, Mom and Dad proudly held machine guns. It was tough to say who was more excited for the photo -- the Rea kids, or their parents.

"It's a fact of life, there are guns everywhere, especially in Arizona," Glenn Rae said. "We thought it was a really neat thing to do, and fun."'

Guns are holiday fun in Arizona? These parents sound a lot like children themselves, 'Gee, everyone is doing it so, why not?'

"Our kids have never touched guns," he continued. "The little ones have never touched guns. Not until they are 5 years old and they can actually go through a gun safety class."

[Emphasis mine.]

Way to be the mature adult there, make the wee ones wait until after they turn five before they handle the assault weapons. Is anyone else thinking that the future of mankind is in serious peril?

"Santa's elves, who wore their own sidearms, made sure to give everyone a quick gun safety check before they took their Christmas photo: don't point a gun at anyone and keep your finger off the trigger.

"Let's talk about finger discipline and muzzle discipline," one elf said. "Remember which side you are on with Santa."'

What else would machine gun Santa's elves do, but gun safety checks?

"One important thing to note is while the guns were real, the weapons were not loaded and the firing pins were removed."

"These are decommissioned firearms and they have been cleared and safety checked," Kennedy said. "We are just trying to make a fun holiday-themed event for those who want to express their holiday spirit and their love for the shooting sports or the hobby of firearms."

I think they've made their point clear: they're just trying to have fun with their guns in Arizona.

Arizona State Representative Steve Farley said it best, "Heck of a way to celebrate the birth of our savior. To me, it is common sense that you don't joke around with guns."