GUN RUSH: For some gun lovers, assault...

GUN RUSH: For some gun lovers, assault weapons are as good as gold. And now that the politicians in Washington have passed legislation to outlaw many of them, enthusiasts are rushing to purchase the dwindling supply before it’s too late. . . . “There is a drastic increase of people coming in,” says Randy Linkmeyer, owner of Art’s Guns in Canoga Park. “People are saying that it’s now or never.”

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Smokey Bear is one lucky bear. In honor of Smokey’s 50th birthday and to help promote the fight against forest fires, Hungry Valley Road near Gorman has been changed to Smokey Bear Road (B20) . . . The Valley is no stranger to unusual names. There is, for example, Bambi Place in Granada Hills, Nimrod Street in Lake Hughes and Heaven Avenue in Woodland Hills.

FLOWERS: Besides designing bouquets, florists play Freud in the hours leading up to Mother’s Day as shoppers search for the proper arrangements (above). “It’s a little like being a hairdresser,” said one Valley florist (B1). . . . But, though FTD expects 1.3 million orders this Mother’s Day, it still ranks second behind Christmas as the busiest flower season.

HIDEAWAY: Believe it or not, there are more than just horses in Sun Valley’s La Tuna Canyon. In fact, there’s Valley Christian, one of the largest evangelical Christian schools in the country, with nearly 1,900 students on its 30-acre campus . . . Sadly, the school must say goodby to elementary school Principal Victor Frendt, who doubled as a bus driver in the early days (B13).

ELECTRIC CARS: Chrysler announced this week it’s going electric in 1998, but will consumers be charged up about it? Absolutely, says Mark Toczynski, general sales manager of a Chrysler-Plymouth dealership in Canoga Park. He says the new minivans, if they have sufficient power, will be a big hit. . . . “They’ll be great,” he says. “You won’t need to put gas and oil into them.”