The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-12-12
ABOUT CARRYING CONCEALED
WEAPONS.

The Staunton Spectator and indicator
wants the Legislature to take vigorous
action against the cowardly practice of
"toting" a pistol. The habitual corryns
OF such weapons, it says, makes towards
of the carriers, and, on the slightest
provcation they draw and fire, and then
comes a criminal trial of great cost to
the State The Spectators plan of cam
paign against the pistol toters is summed
up in the following;
Require the person buying TO get per-
NIT from the County Court to do so.
Require every person who owns a pistol
or dirk TO give IL in for assessment.
Require a list 10 be hung up in the
County Court Clerks office OF all persons
who own such weapons.
Require the change OF ownership TO be
noted on this list, and no person be al
lowed TO purchase or trade for such
weapon without first applying to the
County Court for a permit.
Now as to the penalties.
Prescribe a reasonable fine and impris-
onment at this discretion of the court for
breach of the law. The fine If small will
be collected, and the law will be upheld.
In addition, whenever person is found
carrying a pistol unlawfully. that is with
out license, deprive him OF the right to
vote for one year from conviction and
order his name stricken from the regis
tered list of voters.
Require every owner OF pistol TO pay
q good heavy tax on his weapon. A law
based on these lines will have the desired
effect, and il should be tried.
We agree with all that our contempo-
rary has said about the bad practice. and
If we have written one line about it we
have written thousands. The man who puts
a pistol into his pocket, nine times out
of ten does so with the determination 10
use 1t upon proyocation, and while he
may not be aware OF it always, there is
murder In the heart of the pisto-toter.
A pistol in the pocket of man is very
much like dime in the pocket of a
small boy 1t burns his pocket. as the
saying goes. and he is always on the
lookout for an occasion to use 1t. But
how often is it that after 1t is too late
the man in the solitude OF his cell goes
over the situation and sees that his act
was rash and unjustifable How much
better to- take beating. If necessary.
than to have the blood OF a fellow-man
forever on ones hands.
But this is a most difficult subject 10
deal with, the reason being that the
simple carrying of pistol is not crimi-
nal. per sc, but in some cases, however
few they may be. is entirely justifiable, If
not absolutely necessary. II is after all
very much like drinking liquor. 1t is all
right. If you do not abuse it, and it is
very hard TO draw the line between those
who do not and those who do.
The Constitution gives to every Ameri-
can citizen the right TO bear arms, though
this does not involve necessarily con-
cealed weapons, and our Stanton contem-
porary would perhaps be surprised, If 1t
has not investigated the matter to find
that there are many men in the State of
Virginia who honestly believe that the
Legislature has no business to be inter-
fering with this constitutional right. In
short. public sentiment in Virginia is not
altogether opposed 10 the practice OF
toting a pistol. and so long as that is the
case. just,so long will 1t be impossible, In
our opinion, TO enforce any law that will
entirely abolish this evil.