The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-06-06
WON'T SELL REVOLVERS.
But You Can Lease One for Fifty
Years in Texas.

Austin (Tex) Cor Washington Post.
A cowboy walked into a hardware store
here the other day and asked to be shown
a good six-shooter.
How much is it?" he asked when he
had looked it over.
IT can't sell it to you, the dealer re-
piled, but I will lease it to you for 20
years for s15.'
This is a dad-blamed funny kind of a
joint" the cowboy said II don't want %
lease a gun; want to buy it,
He started to walk out, but was called
back by the dealer, who patiently ex-
planned that the last legislature of this
state had passed law which imposes a
fax of 50 per cent on the gross proceeds
from the sale of pistols
IF | sold you that six-shooter for s15
| would have to pay the state tax II
$780,, the hardware man explained. II
can lease it to you, however, for 80 years
! and won't have to pay the state any
thing"
The cowboy saw the point and leased
the gun.
The law which was enacted for the pur-
pose of taxing pistols out of existence in
Texas has been in effect more than nine
months. During that period only two pis-
tolls have been sold in Texas. according
to the tax receipt records of the state
comptroller's office. One of these weap-
ons was sold the other day in Amarillo
fer SIS and the dealer made a remittance
of $3.50 tax on the sale to the state comp
troller. The other pistol was sold at
Gainesville several weeks ago for $40, one
half of which sum passed into the Golfers
of the state.
1t is said, however, that the dealers all
| over Texas are evading the new law by
| leasing pistols for periods of so years and
more. This is practically the same as n
| sale as the life of a six-shooter will hard
ly exceed so years. The promiscuous car
| rying of six-shooters has resulted in
many killings in this state, and the leg
isature hoped to diminish the fatalities
by making it as difficult as possible for
a man to acquire one of the weapons.
| Nistol 'toting," as it is called, is not
| openly practiced in any part of Texas.
Many men still wear six-shooters, but
| the weapons are secreted from the eyes
| of the officers of the law There has
| been a wonderful change throughout the
| southwest III this respect during the last
Is or 20 years In the early days almost
! every native in this region wore one or
| two six-shooters in holsters attached to a
/ belt around his waist. 1t was the general
| custom, and nothing was thought of it,.
| Then the moral wave which wiped out
+, gambling and is about to do away with
| the saloon in Texas came along and the
| six-shooter lost it's popularity. Peace Of
| ficers in all parts of the state are very
| vigilant when it comes to arresting man
| for carrying concealed weapons. Only a
| few days ago a man was arrested here
| and a pistol found on him. He was fined
| 500 for carrying the weapon Not great
many years ago 81 and costs was the
| usual punishment.
| 1t is claimed that the fight which is
| being waged against carrying pistols has
| greatly lessened the mortality rate in Tex
! as. Murders are still committed but
there has been a material decrease in the
! irdiscriminate shooting and killing that
/ formerly took place in this state
: 1t is expected that the next legislature
| will enact law putting stop to the new
| practice of leasing pistols.