You may think this diary will be about guns, and it will be a little. But it's mostly about the economy and the last 30 years, and a news story that is starting to get some national press.
Ashtabula County, at about 720 square miles, is the largest county in my state, Ohio. It is fairly rural, but there are still more than 100,000 people living there. The county is the classic rust belt story: it was at one time active in manufacturing, but those jobs have gone overseas, most people with money have left, and those remaining struggle to find employment at living wages.
Because of successive budget cutbacks, law enforcement in Ashtabula County has been reduced to a single sheriff's department patrol vehicle for the whole 720-square mile area. With this level of law enforcement, victims of even very serious crimes or crimes-in-progress cannot be assured of a timely law enforcement response, or in some cases any response at all. Other government services have also suffered this level of devastating cuts.
One of Ashtabula County's judges (there are only 3), Judge Alfred Mackey, has advised citizens to arm themselves. Judge Mackey observes, "We're going to have to look after each other." The story has started to be picked up in some national outlets. There have been additional articles about Judge Mackey over the last day or two. Other news articles have reported that gun sales in this area have risen significantly.
So it has started to come to this: a government unable to provide even the most basic of services to citizens. People may argue about the merit of various programs that governments operate, but no one should disagree that law enforcement - enforcement of the basic rule of law and the right of individuals to be free from criminal attack - is a core function of every government.
I don't know Judge Mackey, but in reading the various articles, it is clear that he is not a nut or otherwise imbalanced. He is suggesting one of the only alternatives available in a area where the jobs left, the rich got richer (and then left), the middle class was destroyed, and, now, the government is slowly ceasing to function.
I should say at this point that I'm pro-Democrat, but that I believe law abiding citizens should have the right to carry firearms to defend themselves. I don't have any problem with people in Ashtabula County buying guns and using them for protection.
I do have a problem with why people are buying guns in this situation. I know that a common refrain among those opposed to gun ownership is that the proliferation of guns will lead us back to the "wild west" era. In this specific case, I think it is unfortunately the other way around: people are buying guns because - with or without guns - they are already in the wild west.