The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-07-27
TOO MANY GUNS CARRIED
A PLAN TO CEECK PROMISCUOUS
PISTOL HANDLING.

Assistant Chisf of Police K Hourly
Wants a High License Attached to
the Business OF Selling Firearms and
a Permit System to Regula.e Their
Carrying-Tne Way it is Done IN New
York.
While the present legislature is 10 the re-
form business it might look into the laws
governing the sale and carrying Of firearms
and so change them as to throw better safe
guards around the lives Of the people.
Tie laws on the subject are entirely too
lax. Any one, practically from child up,
can purchase the death-dealing weapons
without any restrictions. The result is that
numberless hip pockets ia Savannah con-
tain ''gun" This is particularly true OF
the colored element. TIE maj )rity of boys
from IA to Is upward have revolvers ready
for use on the slightest proyocation.
eff murder and bloodshed is 10 be pre-
vented then the carrying of pistols by ire
sponsible persons must be prevented
said gentleman yesterday. "Ihe present
law on carrying concealed weapons IS not
sufficient for the purpose A stringent and
unbending law regulating the sale OF hre-
arms is what is wanted"
A CHECK ON THE DEALERS.
The views of Assistant Chief Of Police
Killourhv. an officer who has been connected
with the police force of Savannah over
Quarter of a century, are worthy OF con-
sfderation. "The habit of carrying pistols"
said he, sis increasing steadily. Hardly
day passes that negro prisoners are not
found with weapons. The only practical
way that | know of to check the evil is
ha Ia,ricIattfra
high license law on dealers in
firearms and also permit system for those
who may wish to own them. Let the or
binary or some other county official be
designated to grant purchase permits to re-
sponsible persons only, and keep a registry
of their names, residences, places of bust
ness, etc. Compel the dealer also to fur
nish q list of names of purchasers SO as to
prevent the sale to any but those having
the permits.
FIREARMs SOLD PROMIsCUOUsLY.
''The nigh license clause" added Assistant
Chief Killourhy, "would stop every little
corner grocery from selling pistols, which is
now tue custom to a large extent In Savan-
nah. None hut reputable firms could then
engage In the traffic, and irresponsible ne
groes and whites, as q matter OF course,
could not secure the necessary purchase
permit from the registry official, he being
gwen power Vi ulbCTBtlOu III Llb
The statement of the assistant chief OF
police relative to corner grocerymen selling
pistols IL true in very many cases. The
shopkeepers don't keep an expensive class
of goods, either. Their stock 10 generally
of the inferior and most dangerous sort. In
most instances the weapons have been
pawned to pay for whisky, and the store-
keeper sells them TO others to get his money
back.
AS Chatham county is one Of the greatest
sufferers in the state from the concealed
weapon nuisance. IL would be well for the
reform to come through one of its repre-
sentatives.
THE WAY IN NEW YORK.
In this connection the following from the
New York Times is of interest: Among
the sources of income which go to swell the
police pension fund is the moaey derived
from the issue Of permits to carry revolvers.
1t is rather a curious fact that one who de-
sires TO carry a pistol legally in this city
must contribute 81 80 per annum to the
support Of police pensioners, and this was
made possible by the combined action of the
board of aldermen and the state legislature.
ain 1878 the aldermen ordained that every
person except judges of the federal, state
and oity courts and officers Of the general,
state and municipal governments author
lied by law to make arrests. and persons to
superintendent of police, who shall have
concealed on his person a pistol of any de-
scription, shall be deemed guilty OF a mis-
demeanor, punishable by a fine of $40 or ten
days imprisonment.
LICENSE FOR 50 so.
"These permits were issued by the superin-
tendent without fee, until, in 1884, the
legislature provided that the permits should
be issued for one year only, and that fee
of 81 so should be exacted for each. These
fees were to be paid into the police pension
fluid.
This is the law at present in force, and
under it's provisions the superintendent has
issued for this year over 900 permits. In
1890 there were 622 permits in force, and
1855 was turned into the treasury of the
pension fund from this source. The per-
mits are held chiefly by night watchmen,
collectors Of money and agents of various
kinds, whose business calls them out at late
hours of the night, or who carry large
sums of money.