The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-03-04
CARRYING PISTOLS.

The dep,orable breach of the peace De-
fore a committee of the Legislature, IN
which pistols were drawn, gives lurid
example of that reprehensloie practice
which this paper has so often and earnest
" denounced. The glazing feature IN 'he
row at the Capitol was that a member OF
the r legislature was one of the offending
-,.-+;es Thoroughly conversant with the
law and occupying position Oh dignity
and responsibility, he violated ms dut! So
far as TO set that law at defiance ana pre-
sent a hitherto concealed weapon. what
can we say about the common run Oh
low -Ihreal,ers in this respect, when they
have the example of member OIL t''e
Legislature drawing his pistol ; IN Inc
very Capitol?
we have before us an article from the
J,vnchburg News, published some mohlis
900 which is wholesome reading at TINS
time:
..There is law in every State ana
a,.ary community forbidding people 10
carry fire arms under heavy peha'ls.
Rut STILL deadly weapons are al" ay
found upon every person arteseeu ~.
lawlessness. and frequently upon lnose
who are very quiet and l'"-ap!u'nS 70
pie The law seems 10 h1Ne oarrv
mon those who are disposed to carry
noncealed weapons The good cltlZsh
rms himself for self-pro:ecion, ana the
h,d ono FOR assault. a new plan OF pre-
venting persons from carrying ueauiS
yvaaronss is now under discussion III Sun
Carolina. and it seems 10 De talnsl
GOOD one. The Philadelphia Press says -
the new plan: ro,,rior is
.. The Charleston News ana Coli iei -
lighting the pistol-carrylhs hdpi. o 80
NOV. man. 1t has lost faith IN the olu
Wv Of nassins laws against it, because
ercb laws are invariably violated by dii
clacsos If men The method proposeo
,on, ;s N make pistol-carryinS costly Ny
compelling dealers who sill them to Ia re
on. a license and put q stamp ana theif
name on every box OF cartridges soiu.
In addition. it would require every one
owning or carrying a pistol to take ous
a maid for license for the privilege taA
the pistol itself as property. ana nave
every citizen make oath, both on resis-
tering and voting, that he mas MOI W.
lated the law on this subject
1--WE have always thought that to pre-
vent the selling of deadly weapons would
he a more effectual way of preventing
tha use of them than any other. ana we
think it will prove so in South Saroiina.
if properly applied. In discussing this
question the Washington Post says, mere
in the District of Columbia we nave
very stringent law, law of which great
things were hoped by its advocates, but
there has been no apprecla bic d!mlnu--
zion of the abuse. We seldom hear or a
hoodlum row in which pistols or razors
do not play an important part Inc po-
lice rarely run in a drunken tough With.
out finding some deadly weapon concealed
upon his person. So far as we can judge
from the facts as they are presented IN
the daily chronicles of local happenings.
the law seems to operate only to the pre-:
JUDGE Of the reputable citizen. He obeEs
the law. and the result is that when
ever some ruffian chooses to fix diff.
Guilty upon him he is at grievous dis2d-
vantage. He is unarmed but the rufflan
always has his gun As matter Of
fact. the only men who could be trusted
to carry a pistol, and to use it for none
but warrantable ends, are deprived of the
means of self-defense, while the criminal
classes, who want weapons for evil pur-
poses, almost without exception, defy the
law and carry them"