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Article: Ban on spray-paint sales unlikely to curb vandals.
- Article from:
- The Washington Times (Washington, DC)
- Article date:
- March 28, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 News World Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Ban the sale of spray paint to young would-be graffiti vandals and they'll find another medium to deface walls, signs, park benches or trees.
They'll apply self-adhesive stickers to street signs. They'll buy indelible markers. They'll use razor blades or knives to gouge their messages into soft surfaces.
When Chicago prohibited the sale of spray paint and indelible markers altogether in 1993, "they saw a dramatic proliferation in etching - they were constantly replacing subway windows," said Bob Hills of Alexandria, who advises the National Paints and Coatings Association on ways to curtail graffiti.
"The only people you're preventing from ...