OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

State Law8 

c\ 

r otwmoh is, 19&J, 

at &q&d.ation 

armtanly kamn aa 

frr rhe*hDr Qr 

a8 It dwr t?q 

tjsct oolmnonly 

ma48 a6 . 
Honorable 9. J. XsaaOko, Page B 

It will be noted that the tam *b&ak jaalP 16 

dot ~fnc’luded in tha statute while the ten@ *slung o&tot* fr 

lnaludad, but not ba~indl. 

Tha Court or Crimlfial Appeals, 1908, in tha oaae 

of wary v. Stats, 108 6. W. 379, reroraad a oonvlatlon for 

oarrylng a *slung shot" and rbtnnndrd the Oansa. The oourt 

ha14 that the weapon lnrol~ad, duorlbed es a Wtlok about 

8 or 10 inohu long, bdng aompornd of an ordinary round 

ohalr-round, being smaller at ona and thnn the other, and 

the small end bsving s.hole bored through It, and a string 

run through this hole whloh oould be hwig on the wrist?; 

and the wlarger end 0) the round had aozpb holes bored In it 

and neemed tie be fillad dth some kind of ~~talL",-was not a 

*slung shot* aa prohlbltsd by ATtlole 483,. Paaal Coda OS 

.texu. . The oolrrt quoted with approval Rebetarqa definition 

of a slosg.s&t aca %mtal ball Crf 'amill aLaa with a rtrlng 

attaohad, a6ad. for, strlkingRi ",*, 

TM .Oourt~of ~~riminal.Appea& &lQSl.& tdb:iqaak 

of Vargacti, stdte, la&j Tat. cr. *p., ue;~T9 8. wi.(aj.860, 

afflrmad~the aonvlotion cU tha de$a@ant for sarryiag.a 

alwg bhot, althougb~the~Jndgrmnt was rewarssd and'tha ?anm 

i ~: "'~ :L':. ~?-,::L:JN: ;::::-MynbbQ .:hwprot%eQux&:gge@@~+. .,..,~~.~~~,o~~~~,~~~~.:,:f~. _, i: rr i ,~~ :_ ~ 

pan aokmwlsdged by the .Cfmrt of Criminnl Appaal&:i%i ?‘..> +& ,. :. .~... .

oaao to be a alung ah+, Is aaaroaly~ dls+~nibUcI'msktha 

dasarl@tion o$ the weapon used or'oarried by 'the dafendafit~ 

in ths'aase or Ges~.v. Stats, &Cra:%L W. $79, abom qu&ted, . 

wherein thnt'wetipon.ras held not.tqba a alaag,a~ots TM 

only disaamlble dWBranoe~ in the nature of the two waapose appears ,to be trivial, that ~belng the weapon 3.mVaZgaa 

v..State was eatsnpo6ed~ of‘a pfecs c+ :rtael~'ormatali.ooVmad 

by hone htdb or ‘Ieathsf whbrbae .$p”@bary TV+ ,Sfafe the wea-. 

poo was basiaally a round obair-raaii&iuida~oi rood. Thb8a 

diifbrimab,r being t$lrial atid inconaeQiaezitia1, ft would al?- 

pear that the Court qf 'criPina$.Appcwli in Vazgae.7. State 

efteotiveily overruled the rormer OgkaiOa Of the court as WIBinal Appsah In Mary v. State; horsror, no.nsntlOn OtgUTY 

v. State 1s made In the opinion of Judga Lattlmora in Vargne 

v. sate. 

Ia Ynrgas Y, State the weapon a~oknaulad~ed by tha 

Court of Orisrinal Appsals to be a altxaj~shot was desaribsd 

as -being a~ piaas Or steal or metal 6nU108ad in stripe of 

. 
horse hide, or isether; one end tapering to nherr bg,atgi 

or 8tnps :sasm aould be fasknsd to ths wrist*. 

recent pronounament by the Court of CrImlnai Appeals on 

the dsflnltlon Of n 61USlg 4hot 18 th4t stats8 In the oplnIon by ;Tudge Graves la the.oasa of %lth f. St&e,.140 S. X. 

(Sl 462. In tide cm30 the witaesess testified that the dersn44nt hit the oomplalnlng wltnna4 with a *bleak jaak*, 

whereas the tRf;sl aourt convlotod the dsfsrldant for carrying 

4 *slung &hot*, The judmnt of oonvlotlon was .thsreln xv-, 

tsrssd and th4 oause remanded, one of ths 4rrora of the trial 

oourt being. in the refasal to subs&t the ohargo as requested 

by the Usfsndant dcflnlne the taavm in Wsoam language as uesd 

by Mr. Bebuter or the Geary ~484~. Ths approved 84iInltiona 

thorsin olt4d am those containsdin 6 C. 3.. p. 119, d&inlag a black jaok~as "a amali leathrr oovered oiub or billy 

weighted at the head Andy Oavlng 4n elsetic &art, thie b4fng 

a qaotatlon'Prom !Vebster*s Intsrmtlonai Dldtloadry". Tim 

oourt of cWs&nal Appeal8 alto8 dth approval the definirttoa 

of a slun~~ahot a8 daffnsd In SS C. a. Q. 913i ea a RbaLLef. 

shat or metal oO+sred'dth lea&her, and a bar&Of slastf0 '01: 

leathar,ntfpshed to su4h ball, at&made so that the cr+aa oan. 

be rt$aoh&to,fha wrist er arm o$ a penon; ti mta& ball or 

i%l .fh6 above qumd OpilLiOQ ths court Of crw 

Appeals ex&vssly dlrr~n~lated botwssn a *sl.png shotn a&d 

a wb&ak~Jbekr an 4ridWocld~ bf the follow3.ng langlugs ot said 

oplnionr !, 

I 

rt Ir signiilaant to note that the Legislaturs of 

the Stats of California in &ha *Deadly Weapon& AoiP, Statutes 

lgl!Zi, p. 5&q, 84% i, prohIblts poao4ssIon of eny Instrumeat 

or weapon'@ thb kind commonly known ss 4 .*blaak jack?, wsluag 

shot*; etc!i the statuta ftwlf dlotIh&shlly a "bleak jack* 

front a,msltmas shot*. The c¶lifereona betmen 4 *biaok jaok* 

an4 a *sluag shot* has beon rsoognlnsd an4 follasd La the 
, 

Honorable 8. 3, Isaacks, Psge 4 

callrornla obtvts Interpreting the caiirornia Deadly weapona 

Aot In the oanes of People ‘1. Mulberin SS P. (8) 174 

lng denied by the suprem Court), mid in People v. Wih I %T' 

879 P. 1040, Dlst. ct. ~pp. fallf. In-the last meatlooea 

ease the defendant was charged with goasesslon of e 'blaok 

jaakw or a "slung shot", ana the oourt approved or the trial 

oourt*a definition of .a black jaok as a~“cvaql& leather oovered 

club or billy weighted at the end, and havli&an elaatio 

shatt*. But the court farther detlnsd a "slung #hot" 64 a 

W6mall mu36 or metal or stone riied on a flexible handle, 

strap, or the like, used ae a weapon". The court hold that 

althouha "black jaok* la not a ~lurm shot'. sinoe camvlna 

of el&r $8 piohl6lted, that ii the d;fandant W88 found - - 

gulm oarryitig elther'a "bleak jack* or a sslung-ahot~ 

the oonvlotlon should be ailirmcd.