City
Under 18? Stick to the crayons!
A Toronto councillor (Paul Ainslie, Ward 43) suggests banning the sale of spray paint to minors in an attempt to fight graffiti. If the proposal succeeds, stores would have to ID their customers before selling them spray paint, and perhaps even be required to keep the cans under lock and key. Some North American cities (including London, Ontario) have already adopted similar restrictions, while Chicago went even further, prohibiting the sale of spray paint to all private citizens.
Since the matter is on the radar, I think this would be a perfect time to introduce some analogous preventive measures. I delight in the opportunity to present a short list of my own suggestions:
- to fight drunk driving: don't sell alcohol to anyone with a driver's licence
- to eliminate dog poop from our parks: ban pet food from the store shelves
- outlaw the sale of squeegees to minors (kids) or anyone who looks like a minor (kid)
As for the spray paint, perhaps we should rather follow Chicago's lead than take half-measures. Maybe that will stop those pesky bike advocates from defacing our roads with that abominable bike lane graffiti.
Images used in collage: "delicious colours" by wacky doodler; "beers i drank tonight" by jim9hopkins
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Also, has there been any success in the cities it's been banned? I imagine it might just open some kind of "spray paint black market".
And I know you're being sarcastic about the bike lane, but tbe Tooker lane is a terrible reason to defend the sale of spray paint. Illegal use of spray paint doesn't really seem to defend your point.
> defend your point.
That rather depend on your interpretation of the point. I am not defending the sale of spray paint; I see no reason to "defend" it, as I see no reason to "defend" the sale of chocolate, or telephones, or bicycles even if illegal acts may be commited using them (littering with wrappers, telephone pranks, running red lights). Neither am I condoning or condemning illegal use of spray paint - that's a topic for a separate discussion. I am just unhappy with this knee-jerk "solution" that is unnecessarily and arbitrarily restrictive and that would do nothing to solve the real underlying problem (whether it be gang proliferation or poor cycling infrastructure). I doubt this measure would even do much to cover up the symptoms: there are many ways to vandalise public spaces that do not involve the use of spray paint. And then there are older siblings if you really do want some spray paint...