The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-03-05 00:00:00

THE ARMS BILL.

The following is the text of the Bill introduced into the
House of Commons on Tuesday night to amend the Law
relating to the Carrying and Possession of Arms, and for the
preservation of the public peace in Ireland :
Be it enacted by the Queen's most Exr.:ellent
Alajesty, by and with the advice and consent of the
Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this
Present Parliament assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:

I. In a proclaimed district a person shall not carry
or have any arms br ammunition save as authorised by
the conditions set forth in the proclamation hereinafter
mentioned. Any person carrying or having any arms
or ammunition in contravention of this Act may be
arrested without warrant by any constable or peace
officer, in order to his being dealt with according to
law; and any justice of the peace, constable, or peace
officer may search any person whom he may reasonably
suspect to be carrying or having arms or ammunition
in contravention of this Act. The Lord Lieutenant
may by warrant direct any person named in such
warrant to search in houses, buildings, and places
situate in a proclaimed district and specified in the
warrant, for any arms or ammunition suspected to be
therein in contravention uf this Act. The person
named in such warrant, with such constables and
other persons as he calls to his assistance, may, within
21 days next after the date of the warrant, at any
time between sunrise and sunset, and if need be by
force, enter into any house:building, or place speci-
fied in such warrant and there execute the warrant.
Any arms or ammunition carried, had, or found under
circarnstances which contravene this Act shall be for-
feited to her Majesty.
11. The Lord Lieutenant, by and with the advice of
the Privy Council in Ireland, may from time to time
by proclamation declare this Act to be in force within
any specified part of Ireland, and this Act shall there-
_upon after the date specified in the proclamation be in
force within such specified part, and any such specified
part of Ireland is in this Act referred to as a " pro-
claimed district ; " and any such proclamation may set
forth the conditions and regulations wider which the
carrying or having of arms or ammunition is authorised.,
and make provision for the appointment of persona
to give effect to the same and the manner of the pro,
mulgation thereof.

111. The Lord Lieutenant, by and with the advice
of the Privy Council in. Ireland, may from tiro.e to
time make orders for prohibiting or regulatlng in
Ireland the sale or importation of arms and aMMUni.
tion, and for the appointment of perecne for the
purpose of giving effect to such orders find 'providing
for the manner of the promulgation thereof. If any
person sell or import, or attempt to sell or import,
any arms or ammunition in contravention of any such
order, such arms and ammunition shall be liable to be
forfeited to her Majesty, and the person so acting
shall be guilty of an offence against this Act.

IV. (I.) The Lord Lieutenant, by and with the
advice of the Privy Council, may, by a further procla-
tion or order, from time to time alter or revoke any
proclamation or order made by him under this Act.
A copy of every proclamation and order under this
Act shall be laid 'before each House of Parliament
within fourteen days after the making thereof, if
Parliament is then sitting, and if not, then within
fourteen days after the next meeting of Parliament.
(2.) The Lord Lieutenant may from time to time by
order prescribe forms for the purposes of this Act,
and any forms so prescribed shall be valid in law.
(3.) Any warrant or order of the Lord Lieutenant
under this Act may be signified under his
hand or under the hand of the Chief Secretary
or Under Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant. (4.)
Every proclamation and order under this Act, -and a
notice of the promulgation thereof in the manner pro-
vided, shall be published in the Dublin Gazette, and the
production of a printed copy of the Dublin Gazette
purporting to be printed and published by the Queen's
authority, and containing the publication of any pro-
clamation, order, or notice under this Act, shall be con-
elusive evidence of the contents of such proclamation,
order, or notice, and of the date thereof, and that the
district specified in such proclamation is a proclaimed
district within the meaning of this Act, and that the
said proclamation or order has been duly promulgated
V. Any person acting in contravention of this Act
shall be liable if convicted before a court of summary
jurisdiction to be imprisoned for a term not exceeding
three months, or, at the discretion of the court, to a
penalty not exceeding twenty pounds. For the purpose
of this act, the court of summary jurisdiction shall, in
the police district of Dublin metropolis, be constituted
of a divisional justice acting for the said district, and
elsewhere in Ireland shall be constituted of two or
more justices of the peace sitting in petty sessions, of
whom one shall be a resident magistrate, or of one
resident magistrate sitting alone in petty sessions.
VI. In this Act the expression "Lord Lieutenant'
means the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland or other (thief
Governor or Governors of Ireland for the time being.
The expression "arms," includes any cannon, gun, re-
volver, pistol, and any description of firearms, also .
any sword, cutlass, pike, and bayonet, also any part
of any arms as so defined. The expression " am-
munition " includes bullets, gunpowder, nitro-gly-
cerine, dynamite, gun-cotton, and every other explo-
sive substance, whether fitted for us e• with any arrna,
or otherwise.

VII. This Act may be cite cl r.s the Peace Preserva-
tion (Ireland) Act, 1881,

VIII. This Act shall cP;ntinue in force until the first
day of June, one, thous,,nd eight hundred and eighty-
six.