A Seattle gun show

Had I not planned to go to the Blacksmith sale, I would have gone down with some friends of mine. Sounded like a great time. From DC Exposed:

Seattle Gun BuyBack Gets JACKED! Turns Into a Damn Gun Show! LOL
Police officers in Seattle, Washington held their first gun 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 shows began dotting the parking lot and sidewalks. Some even had �cash for guns� signs prominently displayed.

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.

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, Seattle's 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.�

Heh -- and one of the weapons being sold raised some eyebrows -- from the Seattle CBS affiliate:

Police: Man Buys Missile Launcher From Another During Weapons Buyback Event
Seattle police worked with Army officials Monday to track down the history of a nonfunctional missile launcher that showed up at a weapons buyback program and determine whether it was legal or possibly stolen from the military.

A man standing outside the event Saturday bought the military weapon for $100 from another person there, according to Detective Mark Jamieson.

The single-use device is a launch tube assembly for a Stinger portable surface-to-air missile and already had been used. As a controlled military item, it is not available to civilians through any surplus or disposal program offered by the government, according to Jamieson.

Sounds like a blast!