EASIER BUYING GUNS OR VEGETABLES? Urban Blight and the Second Amendment

Our president stated in a recent speech before a townhall in South Carolina that, “it is easier to buy a gun than a vegetable or book in certain neighborhoods.”

It seems his argument is that it is easy to buy a gun. Guns are the reason that there is so much gratuitous violence, therefore the 2nd amendment is at fault, Blah, blah, blah!

However, this time he is about 50% correct.

Due to liberal and corrupt local governments, it is often counterproductive and unprofitable to start and operate a business in some areas.

Detroit is a fine example of how a liberal government has allowed a city to decline into rubble, crime and a complete void of productive people and businesses.

I will call out my own city / municipality which is a suburb of Metro Atlanta. Not to name names, but it lies beside the city that hosts the Hartwell/Jackson Airport.

As a former business owner and current property owner of the area, I have witnessed firsthand the hostility to business exhibited by the corrupt and uninspired city officials and employees.

Most would think that new business and thriving current businesses are a boon to the city government. They provide a tax base, bring residents into the city and improve the local infrastructure.

This city has found a way to thwart all new businesses by sloth in city planning.

They fine anyone on code violations as often as possible.

They raise business and privilege fees exorbitantly on new and current businesses. A prime example was the raising of a liquor privilege license from $3,500.00 a year to $ 8,000.00 a year. A great deal of alcohol sales are necessary to recoup an $ 8,000.00 investment.

They require above and beyond equipment expenditures to “comply” with their city codes.

All this contributes to a depletion of capital money available to a business.

I experienced all of these stumbling blocks first hand as I opened a business there.

The result is that there are few grocery stores in the area, very few businesses, restaurants and no bookstores at all. The only bookstore that was available did go out of business a couple of years ago.

My neighbors and I have to resort to driving 10 to 20 miles out of the way to go out to eat, shop and buy things we might need.

There are pawn stores and guns are available there for those who can pass the background checks. However, I believe that there is most likely a thriving underground gun market.

Judging by some of the activities I see around the town and often in my own neighborhood, I would be willing to bet on it.

The new Walmart that was built this year provides shock value while shopping as the local police are almost always there busting someone for shop lifting.

Growing up in the Appalachian Mountains, guns were plentiful and common. The local high schools had a parking lot replete with pickup trucks with gun racks in the window.

Most homes had plenty of firepower, but we had no incidents of school firearm violence. Most young people had been brought up to use and respect guns. They had also been brought up to fear their parents more than the local authorities.

Today’s firearm incidences are more often than not a result of moral negligence and lack of training on the part of the parents. It is a huge untaught lack of respect for the power a person can wield with a firearm, truly the power of life and death. It is no toy.

Violent video games where life and death are reset by the flip of a switch are another cause of gratuitous violence by the young. Nothing seems real and it is easy to start over.

Violent images tend to desensitize those who view them regularly.

Then there is the lack of true consequence within the judicial system. There should be a limit on how many crimes, especially those of a violent nature, would or should be tolerated by society. The brutal fact is that some people are never going to be more than a burden to themselves and others.

So, yes, Mr. President, you have a partial truth, but as usual, you have missed the entire point.

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ipdegirl/7991825767/