Toledo police layoffs leading to gun buying

Shadow · May 27, 2009

Toledo police layoffs leading to gun buying

Posted: May 23, 2009 05:43 PM

Updated: May 24, 2009 09:21 AM

By Colleen Wells

Posted by Dave Dykema

TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - The first round of Toledo police layoffs, in which 75 officers were let go, may already be having an affect on gun ownership.

"I just don't feel safe with the amount they're laying off," says Jonna Ewing. "I think it's going to be a longer respond time."

She is spending the day at a conceal carry class. She's been thinking of getting a gun for awhile, but feels now's the time due to the recent layoffs.

She's not alone. Case in point, someone in Jonna's class wears one those infamous police t-shirts: "I called 911 and all I got was this lousy garbage can" that showed up soon after the TPD cuts.

Tom Urbanski runs Ski's Firearms Training & Consulting. He also teaches the conceal carry classes.

For him, the layoffs mean big business as people are taking safety into their own hands.

"People are panicking, they're figuring the only way they can protect themselves is for them to protect themselves," says Urbanski. "So yeah, my business is booming."

Urbanski says since the presidential election and the collapse of the economy, people have become more interested in owning guns.

He says locally the police layoffs and recent attacks on the elderly are only fueling the fire, especially for senior citizens.

"They don't have much support out there. Their family is not visiting as often so they're having to be their own protectors. I'm seeing an increase in the elderly."

For Toledoans like Jonna, having a gun and knowing how to use it means she'll sleep just a little better.

Copyright 2009 WTOL, a Raycom Media station. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Gunner3456 · May 30, 2009

It's sad. The first responsibility of gov. is to protect the people - police, military, courts, jails... Everything after that is optional.

Yet it seems when budgets are tight those are the first things they cut, and they leave the new fluff which we managed to do without for 200+ years.

I sure don't think a LEO could get here fast enough to help me so I'm well prepared and well armed...

Doubletap · May 30, 2009

Just remember..when seconds count..the Police are only minutes away.....

SULLY · May 30, 2009

That's funny but true. Why is it whenever budgets need to be cut, it is always the schools and law enforcement that are first on the list?

Gunner3456 · May 30, 2009

Well, it seems to me that even the Feds will cut the military budget even while they add new programs elsewhere.

Locally, I always suspected that they cut where we will feel it and then "want" to pay more taxes. Maybe that's just my imagination...

ZombieAssassin · May 30, 2009

The Supreme Court and lower courts have ruled multiple times that the police have no responsibility to protect the people. <broken link removed>

Regardless of a law (ink on paper), it is YOUR responsibility to protect yourself. You should never abdicate that responsibility to someone else unless you want to be a victim/statistic.

tionico · Jun 3, 2009

whoever said the government makes the cuts that hurt the citizens most is spot on the mark. When Washington voters passed I-695 a few years back (vehicle license tabs will be limited to thirty bucks), oh did they make us pay dearly. Cut of all kinds came to slap us in the face. Of course, they've since figured out ways of extracting more.... got the bill for my 30 year old Mercedes today.... $43, and for my 12 year old Ford van, $63. And I voted FOR that initiative. Who are these chumps anyway? And why don't enough wake up to throw them out in the streets, minus their lifelong pensions WE will have to fund?

BPN · Jun 4, 2009

tionico said:
whoever said the government makes the cuts that hurt the citizens most is spot on the mark. When Washington voters passed I-695 a few years back (vehicle license tabs will be limited to thirty bucks), oh did they make us pay dearly. Cut of all kinds came to slap us in the face. Of course, they've since figured out ways of extracting more.... got the bill for my 30 year old Mercedes today.... $43, and for my 12 year old Ford van, $63. And I voted FOR that initiative. Who are these chumps anyway? And why don't enough wake up to throw them out in the streets, minus their lifelong pensions WE will have to fund?

The guy you want is Tim Eyman

Here is his Wiki link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Eyman

I wont post how I feel about him... but rather let you make your own

I do however see him and his crew camping out the local walmart in Everett collecting signatures from those who may or may not know about the initiative and the effect it will have on our community. He's also Cougar grad...

Ben

tionico · Jun 4, 2009

The guy you want is Tim Eyman

Yup, Tim's the man.

Funny thing though.... he put together an initiative oh, two years back, got it on the ballot.... it was to do about what Prop 13 did in California a few years back.. freeze property tax at current values, unless a place is sold again, then the new sales price becomes the tax-assessed value for taxes. It was going great, until the media caught wind of some dirt on Tim himself, and launched a smear campaign against the man himself.... never mind the initiative and what it would do. Media made a solid connexion between the author of the initiative and the initiative itself, turned voters against it on the grounds of the individual behind it. It failed...... so, once more, the press controls the polls. Of course, the stupid voters in Washington were not sufficiently intelligent to assess the measure itself and vote on THAT... oh no, they bought off on the popularity contest put before them by the media. We got what we deserve. Once more. And here I had thought we'd actually be having our tea party on property taxes....... silly of me, that....

tionico · Jun 4, 2009

Interesting, reading through the list of his initiatives. Ending affirmative action, reversing the non-descrimination based on sexual orientation laws, and, time after time, getting the voice of the people to say "reduce taxes and government size'. Every one of these is a good goal......... most of these that gained the approval of the voters was overturned in courts, or on a technicality. What has happened is that, in this state, the government machine, fed and enabled by those taxes, first protested he is legislating by initiative.. why, what else is that process FOR if not to legislate?.. then used the courts to legislate from the bench and overturn the expressed will of the people.

And they get mad at Tim Eyman, the guy who is working to hold some limits on the government and its insatiable appetite?