Glenn: Gun shows, not gangs, cause
of violence
LIMA — The surge of
gun violence in the city of Lima during the past six months has left many on
edge, anxious to find a solution. For 6th Ward Councilman Derry Glenn, the
answer lies in keeping handguns off the streets and out of the hands of young
people.
“Let’s talk about the
guns,” he said. “People are scared of the [National Rifle Association], but I’m
not afraid of them. Mr. Glenn, if the NRA heard the words "Derry Glenn" there would be a quiet and puzzled "who" Our babies are killing one another right now, and I’m not
going to let this continue to happen.” That our "babies are killing one another right now" is tragic and I commend Mr Glenn for his activism but Mr. Glenn make sure you lay the blame at the feet of the actual problem. That problem is a breakdown in the fabric and morality of the community. People that have no guidance of a traditional family structure.
Glenn maintained that
gun violence is being incorrectly blamed on gangs in Lima, a problem he says
does not exist.
“Due to my experience
working in the prison system and knowing about gangs and walking around for
days talking to kids here, I know there is not a gang situation here in Lima,”
he said. “It’s that we’re allowing them to buy guns at gun shows like at the
fairgrounds. Kids are telling me they’re having adults buy guns for them.
They’re not coming from burglaries.” As usual the logic is flawed . . . rather than focusing on where these young people get their firearms you may want to consider that these "innocent" young people ARE SEEKING THE GUNS. No one at the gun show is running up and down the streets of Lima, gathering these young people up , transporting them to the guns show and forcing firearms into their hands. The young people are seeking them out
Glenn asserted that
gun show vendors are not requiring identification before a sale, even citing
stories of people as young as 17 buying guns.
“People want to slap a
‘gang’ label on things so people can be charged with racketeering and be put
away for life,” he said.
Lima Police Lt. Brian
Leary painted a different picture of the situation, noting that while gangs in
Lima are not as big as they were in the 1990s at the height of the cocaine
trade, they still exist.
Yet one more set of excuses that tries to move the focus from the actual problem to some "shiny object"
