Levi Johnston at the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn. on September 3, 2008, when he was dating Bristol Palin.Damir SagolJ/Reuters
Congratulations are in order for Levi Johnston and Susan Oglesby, proud parents of a baby gun, ahem, girl.
The man best known for fathering Sarah Palin's grandchild has chosen the name Breeze Beretta Johnston for his first child with his current girlfriend.
Yesterday, celebrity gossip site TMZ published a story showing the swaddled baby, who was born at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center in Alaska weighing 6 pounds 15 ounces.
Johnston, shown holding the baby, clearly dressed for the occasion in a pair of camouflage cargo pants.
Bristol Palin, whose son Tripp was born in 2008, should consider herself lucky.
According to a post on Time magazine's NewsFeed site, the couple had already chosen the baby's name back in May, when they appeared in an interview on Inside Edition.
No word yet on whether the National Rifle Association will be hosting the christening.
In all fairness, Beretta is the girl's middle name; she may very well decide to not use it. Certainly it sounds more feminine than Glock.
It's fun now to crack a joke at Breeze's expense (perhaps less so when she's old enough to fight back), and no one is suggesting that this is life-or-death news. But it does underscore a certain mentality that gun culture is cool – because the name, no matter how original or lyric in theory, cannot be removed from its associations.
It's not as if they can make up some story that they arrived at Beretta by combining Bernadette and Loretta; one need only search the Internet Movie Firearms Database (yes, such a resource exists) to see the ubiquity of the brand in popular culture.
The firearms company, which dates back to the 16th century, remains headquartered in Italy and produces a wide range of shotguns, rifles, submachine guns and revolvers. It also manufacturers apparel including pink baseball hats, which would make a lovely baby present.
If the couple have another child and decide to continue the theme, just imagine the possibilities: "Time for a nap, Uzi!" Or "I think little AK needs his diaper changed!"
Amy Verner