The majority of those who voted last election passed I-594. It is not a new Interstate highway, but it does divide the state. The highly populated urban areas voted yes on I 594 and the sparsely populated rural areas voted no. The urbanites won. Surprised? No. It has happened before. It will again. The majority is urban and liberal. (75% of King County voters voted yes.)

The passage of Initiative 594 illustrates the wide difference in perspectives of people in this state when it comes to guns. The majority of people in the rural counties east of the mountains (except Spokane) voted their belief that government should not interfere with a person’s right to own guns in any way. The majority in the populated urban areas wants more gun control.

I think both groups recognize there is a problem with violence. And both groups want security from the violence, but they see the problem from different perspectives. Urban citizens believe laws that control who can have guns are the way to deal with violence. They tend to see the gun as the cause of the problem. They want government to protect them from guns.

In the more rural areas, people tend to see the person as the problem. And they tend to view the gun as a solution to the problem. They believe they need guns to protect themselves from violence. They do not believe they can depend on the law or the government to protect them. They have the same view as the pioneers who settled here before there were so many laws and so much government. They believe they have to depend on themselves.

People in rural areas are more likely to believe it is the possession of guns that ultimately secures our individual freedoms. This includes freedom from any threats in daily life and if necessary, from a government that would try to take away freedoms that are held to be god-given. Our founders believed that an armed citizenry was necessary to a free people.

I have been asked repeatedly to give my views on I 594. Most folks question how I construe the word “transfer” in the law when it prohibits any “transfer” without a background check. Questions like, “Is it a crime for me to hand my gun to another person to check out how it shoots?” The answer is no. Such acts are not crimes and will not be prosecuted. Common sense must be used in making prosecution decisions, particularly when the law is poorly written. The law itself cannot judge how it should or should not be applied. The law exists to secure the safety and the freedom of people. The law is our servant, not our master.