Upset about all the muggings on Durham’s American Tobacco Trail, a group of volunteers is patrolling the trail as part of a new Trail Watch program.

It’s fashioned after Neighborhood Watch, meaning people watch for suspicious activity or individuals and then call the cops. As we all know, help often comes too late in those instances. Even Durham’s police chief has deemphasized these attacks. Plus, what’s to prevent these well-meaning citizens themselves from being victimized by Durham’s criminal element?

I have a better idea, and this is one that would work, if what you want is to get scumbags to maybe think twice about mugging or otherwise victimizing people on the trail. I suggest we get a group of Durham citizens who hold concealed-carry permits and have them ride or jog on the American Tobacco Trail. Better yet, dress a few of them up to look like vulnerable women, and let some scumbag mugger jump them and get a Glock 23 between his teeth. Talk about your disincentive.

Of course, the American Tobacco Trail prohibits the carrying of a loaded weapon on the ATT. That means my plan would require some involvement of Durham’s political and bureaucratic class, which is notoriously of the left-wing bed-wetter ilk. So, long story short, with a police chief who doesn’t see this as a problem, and a political class that would rather have you victimized by thugs than be able to defend yourself, get used to this status quo.