Like a Good Neighbor

High Bridge Arms is the only gun store left in hippie central known as San Francisco. For five decades they’ve sold guns at their location but now, seeing an opportunity, a few people from the neighborhood are doing everything they can to deny the owner’s permit renewal (in San Francisco apparently you need a permit to sell firearms, who would have guessed). There’s a hearing today on whether or not the permit will be renewed but I just have to roll my eyes at a few of the comments made by those interviewed:

“We just want to see something in that space the neighborhood could use,” Ross said. “A dry cleaners, a restaurant, a bar. We’d take anything where people go to be part of a community.”

Being High Bridge Arms has been in business for five decades it seems the neighborhood is finding plenty of use for the store. You want a place where people can be part of a community? Try a gun store. The clientele at gun stores are generally part of the gun owner and shooting community. What community do people going to a dry cleaner or a restaurant belong to? You also have to love the fact that those who oppose the store are cowards unwilling to talk:

“I’ve never had anyone who opposed our shop walk in and introduce themselves to me,” he said. “It’s not like I’m doing something morally objectionable or unconstitutional.”

If you don’t like how the shop is being run maybe you should go in and have a chat with the owner. Wait I forgot we’re talking about Hippyville where the only thing those concerned have against the store is the fact that they cell firearms. Here’s some more ignorance:

“Aside from being opposed to a gun store, we don’t really think a gun store supports the neighborhood,” she said. “Now we finally have an opportunity to say guns don’t belong in the neighborhood. He can do it, there’s no doubt. But it would be nice for him not to be there anymore.”

It doesn’t support the neighborhood? Really? I didn’t realize the owner was delinquent on his taxes. Actually now that I think about it this story isn’t about problems with the tax collectors so it seems the owner is paying taxes, which support the neighborhood. The shop also provides jobs and apparently drums up enough customers to stay in business for half a century. What more can you ask for? I guarantee you that no other business that moves in there is going to do anything else to support the neighborhood.

I would also argue that guns belong in every community. How else are you doing to defend yourself? Oh that’s right you’re local police department have magical teleportation devices that allow them to respond instantly to a call about a breaking and entering.

You also have to appreciate the underhanded insult. “He can do it, there’s no doubt. But it would be nice for him not to be there anymore” roughly translates into, “I have an irrational hatred of guns and therefore I fucking hate the owner of that store and wish him dead. He can do what he wants but if it were up to me I’d nail him to a damned cross and murder his friends and family!” Hm, my translator seems to have fritzed out at the very end there but that’s basically what is being said.