New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-01-30
SIZZLING PISTOLS TO CHILDREN.


ACCIDENTS FROM THE CARELESS HANDLING OF
| FIIEARMs-sHOCLD TIE SALE or SUCH wEAP-
ONS TO MINORS BE PRoHIB1EDR
Frequent casualties occur among minors from the
careless handling of pistols. and in the last month
the number of such accidents has been unusually
large. When u boy, fired by the lurd romance Of
ycllowcOvercd literature, sets out to play the role
of cOrsar-Or some other adventurous person. he has
no difficulty in purchasing a weapon from the
second-rate tradesmen of the city. Alt hough there
is an ordinance forbidding the of pistols with
out permit, there is law forbiddng their sale to
children. TRIBUNE reporter oil taired several ex-
presslOns of opinion day two ago on the expe-
diency of preventing such sales by legal measures
Distrct-AttOIney Rollins thought it would be
eminently proper to forbid the sale of firearms to
children, as they were not presumed to be capable
of taking care Of them. He did not think there
cOuld be two opinions on the subject. statute
could he passed fOrhddng sales to persons nnder
twelve or thirteen years OF age, and liking penalty
or fine for Its violation. Tho matter was open to
action by the Legislature. An ordinance would
perhaps be better, and the subject might commend
itself to the Aldermen, unless the Mayor himself
should suggest the matter to them. Ii was not
pracicab!e 10 ascertain how many persons carried
weapons who had no permits Tor doing The dis
cOycry OF such a violation of the law was usually
made when the commission of some crime resulted
in search Of the person The Distlict-AttOIney
did think it would bc practicable to fine dealers
for selling weapons to persons who did not show
their permits to carry pistols The icgallty, at
present. consisted in the carrying of weapons with
ont permit not in their pure base.
Clerk Sparks. of the General Sessions. said 81
think it would be adyi 'able to prevent the sale OF
pistols to children. for they not supposed to nm
dcrstand the use of the weapons, and would sug-
grst - severe penalty Tor the violation of the law
Children often buy pistols for the celeb! a ion Of
the Fourth OF July. for instance and sonnet Imes
induced TO put something in them that results in ill.,
Jury 10 themselves or other PERSONS Cheap pistols
~ sol I'm a. a Ghil.IOtrS
often obtained by them ut low figure at pawn-
shops and auction sales. look upon pistols in the
same light other dangerous weapons, and there
many homicdcs and fcl0nlonS assaults com
mlttcd by means of pistols rs by any other weapon
perhaps more. This may sc m commonplace
statement but let me read to You an extract from
the laws Of 1866:
Every person who shall. within TINS state. use or at
tempt TO use, with lUtent to use dgana Otaer
p.is n shan Knowingly and secretly c0ucra his PEG
spH, o. via intent shan |llJ and Irr'lyty IS -
any in~ir.m' o. or weapon nf me kind known rs slnE
rii.y. sauG-clGb or metal tnucke- any dlk or
dagger (nOt contained "a biatc e. pOCkctsnlt) Or
sYor.ranr or alr-gun shall Ge daer.rd guilty OF fc ony
conviction tnrfeOl may he punished py hUIison
ment ,le stat" Freoa ar r'nitchti ~, .: county idh
term not more than on" y"lT, or by tne lot cx-
c,cd'ug $jun ar by both sIca me and imr1is"umehi.
- ou see from this that the pistol is not men.
toned in the list O weapons. ANA yet 1t Is the pistol
that is so largely uscl IN m1rt rOuS ARRAYS. be-
CVc there some opposition at the time the law
WAS passed To in>rrtn" the word pistol III the
atatut". but another statute should. ] think, he
added IN regard To tn" pistol. with til" pGoNiNo that
uincrrS 81 justice and otltrS WHO wish to carry
weapons should REGISTER ut some central o ir". II
Il person can acrOnnt Tor the possession OF
a pistol by showing authority Tor carrying
it, he ought to he HELD iOr The offence the
same us Tor carrying the wraPons mentioned III
tie law | haze read. Burglars almost invariably
are found with reviewers loaded to the muzIic, but
fuI th, offence oi having them IN their possession
without permit Only p nv fine l. imposed. On
~" OiEcr hand. II Il foiriinrr nr0!i N"od-canc
and IA" sheath happens to di0p on the sidewalk. he
may be imprisoned year IN the lcnlteniialy Tor
haVng such weapon: some lnonlhS ago. lor-
cgnrr staying N the Fifth Avenue Hotel had Il
sword-canr that got him into trouble. but he was
allowed to 90 brl.cvr. on showing that he brought
tine cane from orrIan Ian and dId not intend 10
U.s. II. Ny impression - that there are not many
applications made Tor permit, To carry pistol, al
though the figures are not IN my possession. In
rrGirl t. the MANY accidents thIt occur from the
playful pointing at persons of firearms not sup
posed To he lOjdcd, let me call your attention TO
chapter ~, OF The Laws of lr1S making ii II mis-
lcmrauor to p0inI without malice a irrarm 1T Il
person punishable by me OF not moro than 2;ioO,
or imprisonment NOT cXc'tdiIG yea, or both ut
tn discretion o the Court. ! doubt whether this
law ~ generally known u the pu''lc. II man Ills.
charges pistol, rs he may THINK, IN the AR, ana
Kills u person, that Is nar3lau:hir! Al the fourth
!rerrr.
Captain Walsh. of the Twcnty.>ixth Precinct,
WHOSE duty II 10 cHiClCo the city ordinances from
tine Battery ~ Mount st. inccnt. said that during
the last two years about $50 permits To carry pis-
tO, had been issued, Int at least thousand addl
uunal persons carried firearms who had no rlght to
lo Ia regard t. the sale of pistols To ch''drrn,
hr believed that the same line sh"uld be imposed
for III h al act rs Tor carrying pistols without IL
C,lISr. lOuu" folks. H. saId read ycll"W-roNcrcd
novels. ami on Surfing out on the war lath decided
that pistol Was the most essential part at their
equipment. Sometimes they had little else with |
which 10 set ont upon their adventures. On the
East and West sides nine ont Of ten OF the young
rutians spurtcd pistols Cheap r,vOlNerS were |
easily obtained by them nj GunsnltbS. ANA they |
would rae and scrapc together every available
penny TO crafty their passion for firearms. III
law WAS passed lOrhiddmg tie sale Of weapons TO
children, when pistols were found OF them they !
could hr easily traced back 10 the gun-mith that |
made the sale When men were found with pistols !
IN then possession they were fined 80 or lmprS !
On.d ten days. When a person carried Il pistol !
without permit and behaved himself. il would |
not be discovered. as Il rule. that h. was violating
an ordinance. Captain Walsh sad that Recorder |
llackctt paid little attention to ordinances. and
claimed tina, man had the right to carry any wcap |
chose for his own defence. The Recorder. he |
SAID used to carry dcTrngcr III each pocket, rs he
had an idea that somebody wanted to hurt HIM. |
With the police TcYOlvcrS were especially valuable
in the seventh Tenth, Eleventh, Thir'ccnth |
Eighteenth. and part of the Nineteenth PrGcncts
the East Side, and III the Twentieth ana |
Invent sc, Ond Precincts on the West Side. " hcn |
Young criminals were searched III police stations. |
pistols as "a rule found in their pOSS S>iOn. |
The weapons were conliNcacd by tho property |
clerk. The Captain said that if person wanted to
do any harm with pistol he certainly would not |
apply for permit to carry it.