This little quote was buried in a longer piece about the rise in gang violence in Buffalo N.Y. which spiked as several local gangs all tried to extend their territory at the same time:

“Buy a gun,” a member of a recently busted inner-city gang told The Buffalo News last week when asked what could be done to curtail homicides. “Hey, I’m just being honest. You asked.”

Tall and good looking, the young man half smiled, shrugged and seemed to disappear into his oversized winter coat.

Twice the victim of gunfire — a fact a street cop confirmed — the young man said he views self-protection as the best means of avoiding death on the streets.

The gangs that fight over territory and drugs, he said, are often not well organized.

“It’s more like disorganized,” he said, asking that his name be withheld.

Police officials don’t agree with his advice to take up a gun, but they do say his description of most local gangs is accurate. The only problem is that these disorganized gangs sometimes hit their targets with deadly accuracy.

The warfare between “disorganized” gangs is on the rise as youth unemployment explodes and cities begin having trouble paying for the necessary law enforcement to keep control of the streets. Add to this the rise in America of transnational gangs like MS-13 who are used to challenging governmental authority and literally creating states within a state and the what you have is a recipe for American citizens getting left to their own devices. Buy a gun or buy a coffin will be a reality for more than just gang members in the coming year.

h/t Firearm Blog