I had imagined that the Seattle Police gun buyback event would draw a large crowd. Just not one comprised of private gun buyers that would line the streets and blocks near the parking lot under I-5 on James Street in downtown Seattle.

The idea behind the location was that people could easily exit I-5 to exchange guns for Amazon gift cards. By 8:30 a.m. traffic had already started to back up.

Morning went on and more and more gun buyers and sellers, carrying assault rifles on their shoulders and even carrying handguns in plastic bags, immerged. Most of these people in line to turn in their guns did not want to be photographed.

Seattle Police ended up getting over 700 guns, all sorted and cataloged, including a missile launcher tube. The missile launcher was actually sold near the gun buyback within the view of an officer.

Last week we went up to the Summit at Snoqualmie.

Fear is an interesting emotion, one that can be used to manipulate the hearts and minds of a people. Fear can be used to persuade a population to change or to hold more tightly onto the status quo. I’ve attended both pro and anti gun rallies over the past week and found that both sides are using fear to promote their messages. 

The gun control rally, surprisingly, was mostly comprised of women. Mothers and grandmothers, young families with small children who felt compelled by recent tragic events to show their support for stricter gun control laws. Politicians spoke at this rally, calling for changes to gun laws, for an end to needless violence.

The 2^nd Amendment rally had an air of suspicion about it. Supporters were mostly white males, brandishing their weapons for all to see. I felt that most attendees mistrusted my lens. What was I there for? Why was I scrutinizing their position?  A speaker urged the crowd to stockpile food and ammunition.

These different ends of the spectrum must make a compromise, as is the American way. A balance between a citizen’s freedom and a government’s duty to protect must be found or fear will take hold.