Cleveland, Ohio One little victory in the county’s attempts to prevent and halt gun violence has been achieved when a beauty supply company in the Cleveland region agreed to cease selling realistic gun-shaped lighters after local officials voiced worries about public safety.
At Remi’s Hair in University Heights, where she purchases for hair care products, Myesha Watkins, who was recently chosen to head the county’s new Office of Violence Prevention, first saw smaller gun-shaped keychain lighters. She voiced her complaints to the staff, but she felt that they were mostly ignored.
Her girls discovered the lighters had gotten bigger a few weeks later. They looked like little revolvers now, complete with safety buttons and triggers that emitted flames from the barrel like a blowtorch. They were life-size. Watkins was concerned that despite their vibrant patterns, which included flowers, they would be mistaken for actual weapons.
She recalls telling the cashier that day, “Wow, this really looks like a handgun.” You wouldn’t be able to tell if this was real or false if I had it in my waistline or handbag.
She worried about the potential danger if the Taz Torches lighters were being used in the neighborhood, so she went home and posted about her worries on social media. She accused the store of prioritizing profits over safety and urged parents and community members not to buy the lighters, which were available for $14.99.
Because they are holding a lighter, nobody should be afraid for their lives. “Just ask Tamir Rice’s family,” she told Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer, alluding to the Cleveland boy who was shot dead while playing with a toy pistol that was mistaken for a real one. “We’ve seen how quickly perception turns deadly.”
Michael Houser, Sr., a county councilman, spotted the message. As the local representative, he consented to accompany Watkins again this week to request that the proprietor stop selling. There was no hesitancy or opposition this time.
In order to get the remaining inventory off the shelf, the owner agreed to let Houser buy it for roughly $80 instead of ordering new gun-shaped lighters, Houser added. Although it was a minor victory, he declared, “I’m fine with this victory for today.” Every small action alters the culture.
Before Houser and Watkins brought up the issue, Floor Manager Mike Nader claimed that neither he nor the owner had considered the unforeseen repercussions of selling the lighters. He acknowledged that although they are good salesmen, the danger is not worth it. He promised to stop selling anything that looked like a gun.
According to Nader, the choice wasn’t too difficult because it’s not a make-or-break situation for us. Respecting the community was our goal.
Executive Chris Ronayne praised the action as an illustration of Watkins’ potential influence and the upstream preventive work that complements her future duties, even though she hasn’t even begun her new position with the Office of Violence preventive.
Ronayne commended the County Council on Tuesday, saying, “Those are the kinds of things we’re trying to do.” simply the small actions that collectively prevent violence and a violent culture.
But there’s still more to be done. According to Houser, there are other stores in the county that sell comparable goods. Though he stated that he is thinking about creating legislation to outlaw such things throughout the entire county, he hopes that they will also voluntarily stop selling, like Remi’s owner did. He’s attempting a softer strategy for the time being.
We had the option to object, but Houser stated that he preferred this strategy. All it needed was a discussion.
According to Watkins, that discussion might ultimately save taxpayers money in addition to saving a life. According to her, a city may lose $1 million for a single homicide and roughly $1.6 million for nonfatal shootings.
But what would it take to decide to improve as a community? Apparently, only $80.
In the end, we might have saved a life, even if it was only for $80, Watkins stated. And that is the appearance of preventive and intervention.
Stories by
Kaitlin Durbin
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