Is a gang war brewing in Lorain?

June 23, 6:45 AMCleveland Gun Rights ExaminerDaniel White

Previous Next

1 comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Cleveland Gun Rights Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Courtesy of Oleg Volk

The last two days have seen five people shot in what is being called a "high-crime area" in the west side of Lorain in the neighborhoods of 13th Street and 18th Street crossed by Long Ave. and Oakdale Street.

This area of town has gotten progressively worse over the last few years and allegations of gang conflicts over territories and drug sales seem to be leading up to a full scale turf war as criminals vie for control over the area.

Some are residents are afraid to even help Lorain police put an end to the violence because the area is "always getting shot up" and they're afraid of retribution.

There are those who will point to the violence and opine that the solution is more gun control, more gun "buy-backs" and the need for an "assault weapons ban."

Rational people will note, however, that the same underground networks that allow these gangs to obtain illegal drugs give them a ready source for obtaining illegal firearms. It isn't like these gang-bangers head over to B&T Shooting Supplies to submit to a background check before buying a gun. The only effect passing more gun laws would have is to ensure that law-abiding residents have no option but to submit and hope for mercy.

Lawful gun owners have never been the problem. It is the breakdown in family values that leads to the attraction of young people to the gang lifestyle as they instinctively search for some structure in their lives. Structure that the gangs give them, albeit in a non-traditional and unlawful way.

The solutions aren't easy. The police can increase patrols over the area, but that will serve only as a band-aid to the problem. The underlying causes of the violence will still remain, and those gang members will either bide their time until the patrols ease back or they will move their activities to another area of the city.

The only way the problem can truly be solved is if the underlying sociological causes of the problems are addressed. Something that doesn't seem likely to happen anytime soon.