How About a Ban on Bans?
There are two measures facing the City-County Council over the course of the next month or so that illustrate to me the perfect example of government with misplaced priorities. One is a ban on shooting off weapons. The other is a possible ban on pit bulls.
The shooting ban is proposed by Councilor Angela Mansfield. It got out of committee with a do-not pass recommendation. I am not a gun owner, but I respect the rights of gun ownership. And I personally don’t think this ban would do anything. On any given night shots are fired all over Marion County. There is no way the police (who are at least 120 short staff-wise) could make it to the shooting to enforce the law. And if you were to call 911 to report the shooting, you’ll be on hold for at least 5 minutes, so that’s plenty of time for the shooter to get away or come after you.
On the pit bull ban, which is still in the drafting stage, I frankly don’t see how 23 Animal Control Officers are going to get their hands on an estimated 50,000 pit bulls. And what is a pit bull anyway? Are we talking pure bred, half-bread, a mutt? What will the city do? If you have a mutt, will it just cut out the part that is a pit bull and give you the rest? Will the city grandfather in the ban? So if you have a pit bull now you’re free and clear, but any new pit bulls would be destroyed? I can see the image right now of Animal Control Officers going door to door killing the first born pit bull and an owner putting their pit bull in the White River where it is picked up by another family. And 30 years later the pit bull comes back and demands whoever is Mayor to let his fellow pit bulls go. I know this is silly, but so is a ban.
I am all for improving the quality of life in Marion County. I’m here too, you know. But outright bans never really solve the problem. More police on the street, less fudging of the bail bond system that puts criminals on the street, community involvement and healthy job creation and schools that provide real education are how you improve the quality of life in an area, not silly bans that make people feel good but do nothing to solve the real problem.
