The Simpsons Episode · 1997
Homer buys a handgun in minutes, joins the NRA, and carries it openly everywhere.
What Really Happened · 2022
The Supreme Court's Bruen ruling (2022) struck down concealed carry restrictions and accelerated open carry laws nationwide.
2022
The Full Story
In 'The Cartridge Family', Homer walks into a gun shop and purchases a handgun in under five minutes with no meaningful background check — then immediately carries it loaded everywhere, to the dinner table, the grocery store, and church. The Supreme Court's 2022 Bruen decision struck down concealed carry restrictions nationwide; open carry is now legal in 30+ states; and US gun ownership hit record highs after 2020. Homer's casual armed Saturday afternoon became the norm.
Gun Proliferation & Open Carry is one of
70 verified Simpsons predictions
tracked by Springfield Oracle — a public database of documented cases where The Simpsons
foreshadowed real-world events. This prediction appeared in S09E05 ("The Cartridge Family"), which aired in 1997.
It was confirmed true in 2022.
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