Neighborhood Associations Can Help Decrease Gun Violence
Gun violence is preventable (“The Smoking Gun,” Currents, Sept. 15). As individuals, we need to educate ourselves to be aware of how each of us can ensure safe and responsible home and workplace settings.
Guns frequently are used to start or abruptly end a disagreement or commit a crime. Guns are frequently found by young children. Gun locks are available from many gun shops. Handle firearms in a safe manner. Store firearms in a safe manner.
Many neighborhood associations discuss how to generate support for local anti-crime programs. Please attend your neighborhood-association meetings to meet your neighbors, discuss crime prevention and resolve concerns through mediation.
Armando Vargas
Where’s the Bid?
At the Aug. 15 meeting of the Pima County Board of Supervisors, the following item was on the agenda: Consent by the Board of Supervisors for Award of Purchase Contract for the sale of Posada del Sol Health Care Center … to Hunter Properties Investments, LLC, in the amount of $7,800,000.00. The term of the sale is cash with a $500,000.00 deposit received as earnest money. (“Under-Sold?” Currents, Sept. 15.)
Among other memos from staff dealing with “Hunter” was the county administrator’s recommendation, which stated: I recommend accepting the bid of $7,800,000 from Hunter Property Investments, LLC for the purchase of Posada del Sol Healthcare Center.
The Board of Supervisors accepted the “bid” from “Hunter.” I paid for copies of the two highest bids received by Pima County for this purchase. There was no “bid” from Hunter Property Investments LLC. In other words, Pima County turned down a bid for $9,150,000 and instead awarded the purchase to Hunter Property Investments LLC for $7,800,000—a company that had not submitted a bid.
I will pay $1,000 to the first person who can provide a copy of the bid from Hunter. It must be the bid voted on by Pima County.
Supervisor Richard Elías is to be complimented for voting against this possibly rigged transaction.
Ed Moore
Related Stories
The Smoking Gun
Under-Sold?
This article appears in Oct 6-12, 2011.
Mr. Vargas, there are some concerns that simply can’t be solved through mediation, and crime is one of them. Guns not only facilitate crime, they prevent it as well, though at a far higher rate for the latter statistic if the Department Of Justice is to be believed. I can attest to this personally, having used firearms to stop auto theft and violence against my person. No one was shot, shot at or hurt in any way (save possibly their pride) and all parties went home safely at the conclusion. Had I been forced to fumble with a trigger lock or open a gun safe, this would not be the case.
While I respect your opinion, I must also respectfully disagree with it. Neighborhood association meetings may increase local vigilance and decrease crime through common sense (i.e. locking your doors, leaving lights on when away, etc.), but once those measures have failed, you are left with two options-call the police or pull a gun. I leave it to readers’ logic to discern which is the faster and more effective of the two.