The streets of Oakland may soon sound like a junior high school band concert.
Meanwhile, self-defense through the Second Amendment does not even get a mention from local officials. This is despite the clear and present danger presented by armed criminals who think nothing of taking a life.
As CNN reported, authorities also recommend the addition of security bars to doors and windows to thwart crime. Neither action, unfortunately, would have saved the life of 60-year-old retiree David Schneider.
He was recently outside trimming trees in Oakland when he was shot and killed. Neighbor Toni Bird said she now seeks sanctuary inside. “People aren’t feeling safe out of their house. It makes sense that you would want to protect your house then, right? You would barricade it.”
Bird said she now has three air horns ready. “The types of violent crimes that we’re seeing feel much more violent and the consequences feel much more severe. And it feels like the people that are being targeted are people who are vulnerable.”
Burglaries in the Bay Area city have skyrocketed 41% and robberies are up over 20%.
Many Oakland residents report considering fleeing the area and even the state due to feeling unsafe in their daily lives. Local activists, including the NAACP, are pressuring city officials to make changes to secure their safety.
A letter from the civil rights organization in late July highlighted demands from Oakland branch president Cynthia Adams and Bishop Bob Jackson. The two asked for action to address the public safety crisis, especially in predominantly Black neighborhoods.
“African Americans are disproportionately hit the hardest by crime in East Oakland and other parts of the city. But residents from all parts of the city report that they do not feel safe.”
The NAACP singled out the district attorney’s “unwillingness to charge and prosecute people who murder and commit life-threatening serious crimes.”
As a prime example of the organization’s complaint, DA Pamela Price within the last week reduced charges on two men who robbed and killed a 75-year-old in 2021.
He was out for his morning walk. One suspect was identified through the ankle monitor he was wearing when the murder occurred.
And while the statement charged that “failed leadership” led to a bumper crop of offenders, there was still no mention of the most trustworthy protection for citizens against violent criminals.
Unfortunately for the good citizens of Oakland, air horns are not the answer. Ask a evildoer what they fear when perpetuating their crimes, it is guaranteed that a noisemaker will not be high on the list.
What criminals do fear is an armed populace. Time and again, incidents from across the nation show the power of citizens who are prepared to go face-to-face with violent crime. To be clear, no one wants to shoot another human being in self-defense, but too many times that choice is taken from them.
Oakland residents outside of their homes may choose to be equipped with air horns at the behest of local officials. But those devices should be packed in their belongings somewhere below a readily available instrument of the Second Amendment that is much more likely to save their life.
Any advice to the contrary is only putting lives unnecessarily at risk.
