The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-09-24
Concerning UnlOaded Firearms.

1t Is true that guns and pistols known 10
be loaded are dangerous; but when, al
though loaded, they are believed TO be I'M
loaded, then they are fearfully dangerous.
The awful story of the death of Mary Day,
of Toronto, which we printed on Monday,
illustrates the truth of this remark. Her
father. il appears, was preaching on Sun
day evening in one of the Toronto
churches. She and her brother were at
home. The boy is ten years old, and she
was twenty. There was loaded gun in
the house, and during the evening the boy
picked il up, undoubtedly under the i'm
preston that it was unloaded, pointed it
at the head of his sister Mary, and with the
playful remark, "DOyOu want me to shoot
your pulled the trigger. The poor girl
fell dead, with one side of her head blown
clean of.
We have no doubt that the boy will suf-
fer far more from this dreadful perform
ance than bis sister did. The trouble is
that his sad experience will not in any
way prevent some other boy from doing
precisely the same thing. If boy was
made fully to comprehend all the horrible
details OF this occurrence he would still
possess lurking feeling that the Toronto
boy was a great fool not to know that the
gun was loaded, and that he himself never
could make such mistake. If there was
a gun in the house, and especially ifhe had
never been allowed TO fire it off or handle
1t, the temptation to get hold of it would
remain rs strong as ever. He would be
perfectly confident Of his ability to man.
age the fascinating and deadly instrument;
and in proportion to his self-cOntidence
would be the likelihood of his pointing it
straight at any timid or nervous person
who happened to be with him.
One way of making boy careful in the
use of firearms is to let him use them.
OF course there is more or less risk in this.
but it is a risk that he will kill himself and
not some one else. and guns and pistols can
not be used at all without some risk. An
ordinary boy. who has been accustomed
to handling firearms for six months under
proper supervision. would never. as the
rule, think fpOinting one of these deadly
weapons al "A woman or playmate. 1t is
true that through carelesSneSs he may
shoot some one, but so through careless
ness lac may set fire to the house or fall
down flight of stairs and break his neck.
Such risks are inSeparable from human eX-
istence.
The only certain way to prevent such
dreadful 4. currcnccS as this i'm Toronto is
and key, as one would poison. The I'M
comfortable and irresponsible desire Ofyery
young children to put anything within
reach into their mouths is danger of pre-
cisely the same kind as the desire Of any
lUsty little boy to get hold of a gun. The
certain remedy in both cases is alike,
namely, just as we keep away from the
hands Of little children what will hurt
them so to keen beyond the reach of small
boys the firearms whose proper use they
do not understand.
Now and then some one is killed by a
grown person who thinks it a fine thing to
brighten his associates by pointing fire
arms at them. This unpleasant kind of
practical joke is always played under the
impression that the weapon is unlOaded.
We know Of no remedy against such per-
fOrmanccS. If the person who thus amuScs
himself knew that the gun was loaded he
would not so use it. Hence among grown
persons loaded firearms are comparatively
harmless. Ii is the 'unloaded' firearms
which do the mischief. We are inclined to
think that persons whose wantOn playful
ness thus leads them to MAIN or kill
friend or an acquaintance deserve to be i'm
prisoncd for life. Admitting that they
do not intend to do murder. they show bv
such an act a love of practical joking which
is As dangerous to their associates as the
treallish performances of a mailman. In
the language of the statute, the perpetrat-
OrS of such acts evlnCe "a depraved mind.
regardless Of human life" and they ought,
therefore, to be deprived of the freedom OF
action which they exercise. so recklessly
and wickedly.-Ne1o York EUenlng Post.