History YMMV / TheSimpsonsS9E5TheCartridgeFamily

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: The fact that the gun shop owner refers to UsefulNotes/GeorgeHWBush as simply "George Bush" instead of "George H.W. Bush", "Bush Sr.", or "Bush 41", dates this episode to before the 2000 election, when UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush was elected president.

** The montage of Homer waiting for his gun, showing all the things he could be shooting right now: bunnies, baby ducks, a truck carrying merchandise for Target, his sisters-in-law (Patty and Selma) on a tandem bike, and his overly-cheerful neighbor (Flanders) on a riding mower.

* ValuesDissonance: An episode like this certainly wouldn't be made today with the rate of mass shootings and calls for gun reform skyrocketing.

* HilariousInHindsight:
** Fox now holds the U.S. TV rights to the UEFA Champions League, and started broadcasting FIFA events such as UsefulNotes/TheWorldCup in 2015.
** In the DVDCommentary for this episode, Creator/YeardleySmith admitted that Creator/NancyCartwright was better at doing the voice vibration technique during the scene where Bart and Lisa were having a race on their vibrating motel beds.[[note]]Which is done by poking your fingers against your throat while talking.[[/note]] Two years after the episode originally aired, [[Creator/TomKenny another voice actor]] would give [[WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants another popular yellow cartoon character]] his iconic laugh by using the same technique.

* FunnyAneurysmMoment: There's a gag early on where someone gets thrown off a sports stadium. Funny, right? Not so funny two seasons later, when [[spoiler:Maude Flanders met her demise from falling off a sports stadium.]]

** Fox now holds the U.S. TV rights to the UEFA Champions League, and, starting in 2015, will broadcast FIFA events such as UsefulNotes/TheWorldCup.

** Homer using his gun to open a can of beer and turn on his television.

* WhatAnIdiot:
** Homer gave in to Snake's demands despite knowing Snake's gun wasn't loaded.
** A lot of Homer's gun antics, including keeping it in the refrigerator where anyone (especially his kids) can get to it. This after he promised Marge to get rid of it.
** Related to the above point: Bart and Milhouse recreate the famous William Tell story...with the apple in Milhouse's ''[[TooDumbToLive mouth]]''. If it weren't for [[AccidentalHero Marge's timely arrival]], Bart and Milhouse wouldn't have been William Tell recreationists; they would have been [[MedalOfDishonor Darwin Award winners]].

* ValuesResonance: While not every person who owns a gun is a lunatic, there are people like Homer who should never own a weapon. This predated Orlando, Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech, and (by a year and a half) even UsefulNotes/{{Columbine}}.

* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped: "Idiots like Homer Simpson shouldn't own guns" can come off as [[CaptainObviousAesop gratingly obvious]], but it's something both sides of the gun control debate can agree on: guns aren't toys and they need to be handled responsibly by responsible people.

** The importance of gun safety. Whether or not you like guns, there's no denying that they're ''dangerous'', and handling them irresponsibly (or even just allowing irresponsible people have them) can lead to messy and even fatal consequences.

* AccidentalAesop: The writers admitted there was no message in the episode beyond "Idiots like Homer Simpson should not own guns". However, many have found their own Aesops from the narrative.

* ValuesResonance: While not every person who owns a gun is a lunatic, there are people (like Homer) who should never own a weapon. This predated Orlando, Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech, and even UsefulNotes/{{Columbine}}.

** The importance of gun safety. The problem isn't that guns are bad, but they're ''dangerous'' and need to be handled responsibly. Irresponsibility can lead to messy and even fatal consequences.

** The questionable ending of Marge deciding to keep the gun because she looks so cool with it also shows how easily someone can get swayed by wielding power.

* ValuesResonance: This episode still remains extremely relevant after the numerous mass shootings in the U.S. in TheNewTens.

** Related to the above point: Bart and Milhouse recreate the famous William Tell story ... with the apple in Milhouse's ''[[TooDumbToLive mouth]]''. If it weren't for [[AccidentalHero Marge's timely arrival]], Bart and Milhouse wouldn't have been William Tell recreationists; they would have been [[MedalOfDishonor Darwin Award winners]].

* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped: While the episode doesn't take a stance on the gun control debate, it does drop the very important message that guns aren't toys and they need to be handled responsibly (something both sides can agree on).

** The importance of gun safety. The problem isn't that guns are bad, but they're ''dangerous'' and need to be handled responsibly. Irresponsibility can lead to messy consequences.