Pawn Shops Are Evil?

Pawn shops are evil.
They prey on the poor and destitute.
Pawnbrokers are scummy, grubby hucksters.
They take advantage of widows and orphans.
Pawn shops fence stolen loot.
People who buy at pawn shops are like boats who chum sharks toward beaches filled with innocent bathers.

Pawnbrokers have always been the poor man's banker. By economic design, they are often located in the disadvantaged sections of cities. They are often seen as a victimizer of the destitute, and a fence for thieves. People who look at pawn shops this way have often never been in a pawn shop. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Pawn shops are actually well regulated and policed financial institutions. As gun dealers they hold a FFL license. As money lenders, they are governed by their state and the federal government. Most local sheriff's offices perform periodic inspections of pawn shop inventory, stipulated by law.

Historically, Queen Isabella of Spain pawned the crown jewels to finance Columbus’ voyage to the New World. Today, with the mass migration of people from hurricane zones and the high price of gasoline, as well as high unemployment figures, many more families are turning to pawn shops to survive. As many pawn shops change their look for a wider appeal, customers are often drawn by the quick loans at low interest rates. Pawnbrokers gauge how bad the economy really is, as small business owners arrive to pawn valuables and even automobiles for short-term loans. Construction workers pawn tools in times of little work. An area's economy can be quickly discerned by the number of power tools on pawn shop shelves. Financial experts say the pawn shops have found a niche by taking risks on customers that banks would turn down.

Items that had long been held dear are now turning up in pawn shops. At times, when I buy a nice gun at a pawn shop, I try to imagine the person who hocked it. Were they down and out? Were they traveling to a better life? Did they just want to get rid of a nuisance they inherited?

Payday loan kiosks require much more than simple collateral to make a loan. Pawnbrokers do not. Banks will not take a firearm as collateral for a loan so a family can buy gas for a trip to a better life. A pawnbroker will. The only reason the pawnbroker will take the gun as collateral is because he has a means of liquidating it if he must. Thus, the gun buyer at the pawn shop plays a vital role in the circle of economic realities. Because he buys, the pawn broker can sell. Because the pawnbroker sells, he can loan. Because the pawnbroker loans, the family in need can travel and eat. Buying guns from a pawnbroker does not victimize those who must pawn the guns. It enables the entire process, and helps those in need.