My response to "Community Impact Statement"

[Lumpy]

Lake St. and Chicago Ave S is 3rd Precinct, and is a high crime area for robberies, prostitution and heroin and crack dealing. It's also claimed by the 10's Bloods, but disputed by the Rolling 20's. Laundromats at late hours are where people do their drug business because it's easy to hide/ditch dope, and there's always an excuse to be there at any hour. Much easier than explaining why you're standing at the corner of an intersection at 1am and have been for the past two hours. It's also easier to defend yourself from an attack or drug robbery.

There's always a back story. This is not to mention the fact that someone buying a gun like that is illegal, and more often than not, the gun was obtained illegally from someone else; be it stolen or a straw purchase. Our goal as gun owners should be to advocate for harsher penalties for gun crimes, and it has been a platform that the NRA has been vocally supportive of. The whole "enforce the laws already on the books, don't make new ones" thing. This is one of those times when the laws on the books are being enforced.

If anyone is advocating for someone who routinely hangs out at Lake/Chicago for anything other than employment reasons to be able to carry a gun, they must not be spending much time there after hours.

I'm a little confused. Was he working in a carwash, working in a laundromat, or a non-employee hanging around in the laundromat? I took the original report to mean this was a guy at his job.

[jdege]

If anyone is advocating for someone who routinely hangs out at Lake/Chicago for anything other than employment reasons to be able to carry a gun, they must not be spending much time there after hours.

Most of the local SF community "hangs out" at Lake/Chicago, and has ever since Uncle Hugo's moved their from their old place at 4th and Franklin.

[UnaStamus]

I'm a little confused. Was he working in a carwash, working in a laundromat, or a non-employee hanging around in the laundromat? I took the original report to mean this was a guy at his job.

If anyone is advocating for someone who routinely hangs out at Lake/Chicago for anything other than employment reasons to be able to carry a gun, they must not be spending much time there after hours.

Most of the local SF community "hangs out" at Lake/Chicago, and has ever since Uncle Hugo's moved their from their old place at 4th and Franklin.

If they're there at 11pm, they're idiots or criminals.

[20mm]

Chicago Lake Liquors is behind the laundry mat for those who didn't know.

[SparkyJeff]

If they're there at 11pm, they're idiots or criminals.

Or maybe they have clothes to wash.

[SpiderPig]

Lake St. and Chicago Ave S is 3rd Precinct, and is a high crime area for robberies, prostitution and heroin and crack dealing. It's also claimed by the 10's Bloods, but disputed by the Rolling 20's. Laundromats at late hours are where people do their drug business because it's easy to hide/ditch dope, and there's always an excuse to be there at any hour. Much easier than explaining why you're standing at the corner of an intersection at 1am and have been for the past two hours. It's also easier to defend yourself from an attack or drug robbery.

There's always a back story. This is not to mention the fact that someone buying a gun like that is illegal, and more often than not, the gun was obtained illegally from someone else; be it stolen or a straw purchase. Our goal as gun owners should be to advocate for harsher penalties for gun crimes, and it has been a platform that the NRA has been vocally supportive of. The whole "enforce the laws already on the books, don't make new ones" thing. This is one of those times when the laws on the books are being enforced.

If anyone is advocating for someone who routinely hangs out at Lake/Chicago for anything other than employment reasons to be able to carry a gun, they must not be spending much time there after hours.

I think I disagree. It's not illegal to purchase a gun from a guy on the street. It's also not illegal to be wherever the hell I want to be at 1am. I also don't believe we should have harsher penalties for gun crimes. I believe in harsher penalties for murder, robbery, burglary etc. But a "gun crime"? Like having the zipper open on your gun case? Too much gray area there for me.

The guy's record may show him to be an idiot but even idiots have rights to defend themselves.

[UnaStamus]

I think I disagree. It's not illegal to purchase a gun from a guy on the street. It's also not illegal to be wherever the hell I want to be at 1am. I also don't believe we should have harsher penalties for gun crimes. I believe in harsher penalties for murder, robbery, burglary etc. But a "gun crime"? Like having the zipper open on your gun case? Too much gray area there for me.

The guy's record may show him to be an idiot but even idiots have rights to defend themselves.

"Gun crime" refers to violent (robbery, murder, assault, etc) crimes and property crimes (1st deg burglary, illegal/straw purchases and sales for drug cartels or gangs, etc) that were committed with the use or threatened use of the gun. The term "gun crimes" as it has been used by the NRA and other organizations has never been meant to refer to minor issues like a broken gun case zipper, which by the way is a DNR crime and not even relevant to the issue because it's never been part of any proposal for enhanced enforcement.

I don't think you understand what buying a gun "from a guy on the street" means. This is understandable if you haven't lived in the really ghetto rathole areas of the Minneapolis like you find in 3rd and 4th precincts. What people here don't understand is the way that things work in the Chicago/Lake area of the city. Most people passing through or who are there for short periods don't know a whole lot about the culture or level of crime that occurs there. The issue here is that you have a lack of understanding of context in which the gun was purchased, because you're likely basing it off of a different perpective. Buying guns "off the street" in Minneapolis means that you are purchasing a gun with no regard to the legality of said gun. You don't care about whether either party is lawfully allowed to own a gun, and you are buying the gun with no regard as to whether the gun was stolen or not. More often than not, guns sales on "the street" in Minneapolis are done with reasonable grounds for one or both parties to know that the buyer or seller is ineligible and the gun is probably stolen or been recently used in a crime and the "owner" is trying to dump it so as not to be caught with it or tied to it.

[MaryB]

2 areas of MPLS I avoid like the plague when I have to be up there. One of my nieces wanted to go to some club there until I showed her the crime reports. Club wasn't my idea of fun either, my hearing is bad enough already without cranked to the max whatever they call it non-music these days. Told I would buy supper if we went somewhere a little more classy. Ended up at Lion's Tap, okay not so classy but better area and food is decent. Her choice!

[xd ED]

Chicago Av S around Lake St was a sewer 10 years ago when I had to work in that area. I cannot believe it's improved since then.
I got trapped in an apartment bldg when a fight broke out in a basement unit. No cell phone; after a bit MPLS's finest arrived and got things calmed down. There's all the houses with no furniture in the living rooms because the kids have to stay below the level of the windows after a kid got shot while doing her homework.

And then there's Powderhorn Park, which looks like Currier and Ives winter scene, where a woman was molested in front of her kids.

But heck, the city's got light rail and lots of green rooftop gardens.