Leave it
to enterprising Americans to always find a loophole in the midst
of ever-expanding government regulation.
While thousands
of Seattle residents lined up for hours to trade their handguns,
rifles and family heirlooms away in exchange for up to $200 in
gift cards as part of the city’s latest gun buyback program,
gun collectors who have seen prices for assault rifles and firearms
accessories almost triple since November took advantage of a huge
opportunity.
Police
stood in awe as gun enthusiasts and collectors waved wads of
cash for the guns being held by those standing in line for the
buyback program.
…
Police
officers in Seattle, Washington held their firstgun
buyback program in 20 years this weekend, underneath interstate
5, and soon found that private gun collectors were working the
large crowd as little makeshift gun showsbegan
dotting the parking lot and sidewalks.
Some
even had “cash for guns” signs prominently displayed.
People
that had arrived to trade in their weapons for $100 or $200
BuyBack gift cards($100 for handguns, shotguns and rifles,
and $200 for assault weapons) soon realized that gun collectors
were there and paying top dollar for collectible firearms. So,
as the line for the chump cards got longer and longer people
began to jump ship and head over to the dealers.
John Diaz,
Seattles Police Chief, wasn’t pleased with the turn of events
stating “I’d prefer they wouldn’t sell them,” but admitted
it’s perfectly legal for private individuals to buy
and sell guns, FOR NOW. Mayor Mike McGinn said at a
news conference the private transactions are a loophole that
needs to be closed. “There’s no background checks, and some
(guns) could be exchanged on the streets that shouldn’t be in
circulation.”
But Schuyler
Taylor, a previous gun retailer attending the event in hopes
of buying weapons, asked “Why not offer them cash
versus a gift card? I’m still taking the guns off the streets;
they’re just going in my safe.”
Pictures
from the Gun buyback turned gun show in Seattle:
As lawmakers
and gun control advocates further
press the issue of disarmament, law abiding American gun owners
who see those very same politicians
refusing to disarm their own armed security details and exempting
themselves from gun control legislation they mandate upon the
rest of us, are starting to push back.
Calls for
defiance
are taking hold across the entire spectrum of gun owners, with
even elected law enforcement officials now
rejecting any forced Federal or State mandates that they deem
unconstitutional.
In Milwaukee,
and to the fury of Mayor Tom Barrett, Sheriff David A. Clarke
Jr. launched
a media ad campaign promoting a new partnership with residents
of his city :
I’m
Sheriff David Clarke and I want to talk to you about something
personal: your safety. It’s no longer a spectator sport;
I need you in the game.
But are
you ready?
With officers
laid off and furloughed, simply calling 911 and waiting is no
longer your best option. You can beg for mercy from
a violent criminal, hide under the bed, or you can fight back.
But are you prepared? Consider taking a certified safety
course in handling a firearm so you can defend yourself until
we get there.
You
have a duty to protect yourself and your family.
Law
abiding gun owners in America minded their own business and simply
asked to be left alone. Now, because of the actions of criminals
and psychopaths who will not disarm despite any legislative action,
we have government officials on all levels and even
the private sector attempting to limit how we can protect ourselves
and our families from the very people who are out there committing
the violence.
Sides
are being taken.
And
while there may be an effort to weaken certain Constitutional
protections and even repeal
them altogether, there are tens of millions of Americans uniting
behind a single cause. They come from all walks of life, different
political ideologies, and many are members of our armed forces
and local police departments.
Every
attempt that gun grabbers have made in an effort to disarm Americans
and limit our access to firearms has been vehemently rejected,
and in the case of the Seattle impromptu gun show, used for the
benefit of expanding gun ownership.
If
certain government officials really believed in our right to bear
arms and wanted to keep guns in the hands of responsible, law
abiding people, they wouldn’t be trying to take them away
from us. Instead, they’d be giving us a tax break for gun
safes.
January
30, 2013
Mac
Slavo [send him mail] is a
small business owner and independent investor.