I don’t see this one as very funny, honestly. He could have used almost any caption. “…preparing for open mike night.” “…finally happy with his resume.” Those aren’t funny either. I just don’t think the picture lends itself to comedy. MHO.
I presume the caption was triggered by his light-fabric upper sleeves, which seem to be showing off his big biceps (not sure if they actually are or it’s just the way they hang). Dunno, the whole biceps=guns thing has always struck me as so weird… And he’s not flexing (which is the usual posture for “gun show”). This one’s a bit of a stretch.
I also don’t get the biceps=guns thing in general. And also I think if they are supposed to be biceps, they’re a bit oddly painted as there is a strange extra bump below the “bicep”. I think it is more the way the cloth hangs.
He sorta kinda looks like Jeff Daniels to me . . . which has NOTHING to do with the so-called joke.
And 97 is the age of one of today’s Nobel chemistry winners.
… which is good enough
If that’s how he looked like at 75, no wonder he reached 96.
Thus biceps do look impressive… but… huh? …
Yes, people call biceps “guns” but no-one refers to a bicep display as a “gun show”. So far as I know the only common meaning of “gun show” is…. a gun show. Is there some association of gun shows with biceps? Well, I suppose a little; akin to muscle shirts and pickup trucks. But is it *enough* of a association that when one sees big biceps on thinks “gun show”? Well, I certainly wouldn’t have thought so.
People do, indeed, refer to bicep display as a “gun show”.
I think that pro wrestlers popularized the “gun show” term.
An earlier version of this blog discussed a Cyanide And Happiness strip that played upon the “gun show” theme.
I’d NEVER heard of this expression; last night, I read it in a book, published in 2016. At least I knew what the author meant, thanks to CIDUers.
Never heard of the expression either and sat here for time looking at the background for the guns – which were not showing. (Have been to firearm gun shows and hope to never go again.)
Comics I Don't Understand 
It looks like he’s got big biceps…or guns.
I don’t see this one as very funny, honestly. He could have used almost any caption. “…preparing for open mike night.” “…finally happy with his resume.” Those aren’t funny either. I just don’t think the picture lends itself to comedy. MHO.
I presume the caption was triggered by his light-fabric upper sleeves, which seem to be showing off his big biceps (not sure if they actually are or it’s just the way they hang). Dunno, the whole biceps=guns thing has always struck me as so weird… And he’s not flexing (which is the usual posture for “gun show”). This one’s a bit of a stretch.
According to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francesco_Carafa_di_Trajetto this chap was born in 1722 and died 1818, making him 96. Which is pretty good going in any era.
I also don’t get the biceps=guns thing in general. And also I think if they are supposed to be biceps, they’re a bit oddly painted as there is a strange extra bump below the “bicep”. I think it is more the way the cloth hangs.
He sorta kinda looks like Jeff Daniels to me . . . which has NOTHING to do with the so-called joke.
And 97 is the age of one of today’s Nobel chemistry winners.
… which is good enough
If that’s how he looked like at 75, no wonder he reached 96.
Thus biceps do look impressive… but… huh? …
Yes, people call biceps “guns” but no-one refers to a bicep display as a “gun show”. So far as I know the only common meaning of “gun show” is…. a gun show. Is there some association of gun shows with biceps? Well, I suppose a little; akin to muscle shirts and pickup trucks. But is it *enough* of a association that when one sees big biceps on thinks “gun show”? Well, I certainly wouldn’t have thought so.
People do, indeed, refer to bicep display as a “gun show”.
https://www.google.com/search?q=tickets+to+the+gun+show&safe=off&client=firefox-b-e&sxsrf=ACYBGNRofd4ZbPNkwknQa99QnmXSVHvXXA:1570647559841&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi_rPyO7o_lAhW7HTQIHWZ1CskQ_AUIESgB&biw=1440&bih=732
This “tickets to the gun show” joke has been used in everything from Anchorman to Steven Universe.
“. . .no-one refers to a bicep display as a “gun show”.”
Yes, they do: https://www.google.com/search?q=gun+show+biceps&safe=active&sxsrf=ACYBGNTtqY7jSSLxlcrMModq2_HCGmCWpw:1570651099020&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjvw8qm-4_lAhVOqJ4KHY1nAEEQ_AUIEigB&biw=2560&bih=1251
I think that pro wrestlers popularized the “gun show” term.
An earlier version of this blog discussed a Cyanide And Happiness strip that played upon the “gun show” theme.
I’d NEVER heard of this expression; last night, I read it in a book, published in 2016. At least I knew what the author meant, thanks to CIDUers.
Never heard of the expression either and sat here for time looking at the background for the guns – which were not showing. (Have been to firearm gun shows and hope to never go again.)
From “This is Us”