As we all know, there are some 20-odd cities that are now engaged in the practice of suing the major firearms manufacturers for "gun violence", "the cost of gun injuries" by accident-prone gun-users, and the "unsafe" proliferation of guns.

MSNBC's Laura Ingrahamm on the morning edition of WatchIT, asked Mayor Menino about the results of such a suit. If the prices of guns were to rise sharply, due to fines and penalties against the gun makers, won't that affect the poor? Wouldn't poor people no longer be able to buy a gun for self-protection?

To Laura's and my amazement, the Mayor answered point-blank: "The poor don't need protection [from crime] by having a gun. They have the police."

Laura noted that few politicians have the guts to answer a question like that with such clarity.

I agree. The Mayor was quite clear. The poor of Boston only have the police.

I suppose he is right, if he is successful in these lawsuits and the eventual eradication of firearms from private Bostonian hands.

The rich have private security. The middleclass have the layered protection of the police, nicer neighborhoods, and the motivation of civic leaders to protect their tax-base.

But the poor? They will have nothing between them and the crooks except the 20-minute wait for assistance from the police. And the criminals will KNOW that if they act with opportunistic speed, stealth, and violence, that they will be virtually guaranteed a complete sanctuary of victims.

What a great guy this mayor is. He really cares for the People, doesn't he?