Northfield Tobacco Stores, Handguns on the Rise: Feedback

In this feature called "Feedback Friday," we let you know what your neighbors have been saying on our Facebook page, to us on Twitter and in the Northfield Patch comment section about the stories from the past week.
 

Betsy Gasior
How wonderful, Ariel! This is the Church my family and I belong to. While we have a neat historical display in the lobby, many of these have never been seen by the Congregation (at least in the 10 years we've been members since moving here). I'm excited to view them! :)

Northfield Parents Talk: How Do You Feel About Tobacco Stores? 

C Amendy
I moved back to Northfield after living in the south for a few years and was surprised to find two new tobacco shops in town. The stores appear to have all the merchandise that Tiny's did with the exception to food and magazines. Remind me again why it got shut down? The two stores are competing and in doing so, will sell to minors. I personally know of at least a dozen sales to several minors by both shops. This is an educated town. Why do we feel we need so much promotion of an unheathy act in the first place? These stores aren't making their money selling cigarettes in the first place. They are making their money on illegal paraphernelia. I find Northfield sporting two tobacco shops ironic. Have you ever walked into either store? Nevermind the question whether your child will ever smoke tobacco. I knew plenty of people in my early adulthood that would never think to smoke tobacco, but they smoked marijuana. These stores make it much easier to smoke marijuana now; much easier than 20 years ago. Seems backwards to me. Somehow I would have thought this town was making smarter, more educated decisions. Politics. 

Curt Benson
Calling these stores "Tobacco" stores is misleading at best. Based on the amount of shelf space devoted to various pipes and other accessories, I'd guess that drug paraphernalia provides a majority of their revenue. In the past, municipalities have been reluctant to pass and enforce anti paraphernalia ordinances because they resulted in un-winnable and expensive court challenges. However, a judge recently upheld Moorhead's ordinance. My hope would be that our Mayor and Councillors take a tour of these stores and reconsider passing an anti-paraphernalia ordinance. 

Shawn Kopischke
With all due respect sir, the local authorities have "toured" our store three times since we opened the doors in 2010 & as recently as last week. We comply with all of the local & state laws regarding everything we sell here. Furthermore, we don't allow anyone in the store who is under 18 years of age, as shown by our 100% compliance score with the Northfield PD. We also carry many brands of electronic cigarettes & vaporizers which are the #1 products for QUITTING smoking on the market today. In fact, Two of our own Officers from Northfield have quit their tobacco habit using the "herbal snuff" that we sell here as well....Since we have come to town we have donated to the "Defeat of Jesse James Days" festivities, the VFW, the Eagles Club & the Humane Society. We are a small business trying to make it in this great little city. We sell legal products, to people of legal age & we appreciate our dedicated local following of customers....It seems that from the outside people like to drop the whole "education" tag on patrons of our store when in reality our customers are very knowledgeable about the products they consume & the effects on their bodies. Most of our customers roll their own cigs to avoid the additives from manufactured cigs, that is why our doors are open

Handguns: 2012 a Record Year for Permits in Northfield and Rice County

Resident
I don’t understand it. We are supposed to reduce gun violence and prevent / reduce needless killing. More guns will result in just the opposite. Think! More cars, - more accidents! More guns, - more killings. Have people completely lost faith in law, law enforcement, government, civilization and we are going back to the wild west, In the US, - we are kidding ourselves, - this is not “Leader of the Free World” 

Jim Flaherty
If you would do some checking you would find the people that are willing to go through the correct channels to buy a handgun they do commit crimes with them. And by the way the police do not have a gun to protect you they have a gun to protect themselves. 

Resident
Jim F. - Seems to me in the last big tragedy the nut used guns legally owned by his mother. And then how about the little kid killing his baby brother with a legally owned gun from his paranoid gun nut father. I like to understand why anyone needs these powerful killing instruments. I understand hunting and target shooting which can be done with bow and arrow and air rifles! Then there is all this talk about the constitution and rights. Seems to me before we get to read the body of the constitution there is the preamble explaining that the intent is to make things better. All this killing is not making anything better. Our forefathers intended our country to move forward, progress, become more civilized – not go backward and become savages. For that purpose and in addition the constitution has provisions to be improved as needed. This has been done many times before with the amendments. So what is all the huff about? Jim you say “ the police do not have a gun to protect you they have a gun to protect themselves.” OK – you guys want to put police and guards in schools, - to protect themselves, - have a shoot-out with the kids in the middle. So please answer my question: Why dose a private person need people killing instruments? Look at the numbers on top, Every year more guns, every year more killings. 

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