The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1911-01-29
JEFFERSON COUNTY REPRESEN-
TATIvE WOULD MAKE CARRY.
ING OF WEAPON A FELONY.
CAUSE Of NUMEROUS MURDERS
Re.roat Of This County FaVors Bill,
While Champion, His Colleague, Op-
poses lt-sll TO Committee TO be
Trimmed.

Oklahoma City, Okla, Jan. 26.-The
alarming frequency Of murder in Ok
lahoma was referred 10 by Represen-
tatiye Jones, OF Jefferson, Thursday
in backing his bill proposing to make
II a felony 70 carry concealed wea-
pons.
These wholesale murders that dis
grace Oklahoma should cease" he
said. The vast number of homicides
must stop or else no mans life is
safe"
He urged that harsh punishment
for the man carrying concealed wea-
pons would have a good effect in
checking murder, for, he said, large
per cent of murders can be traced
solely to the fact that the man had
his gun"
So we'll did Mr.. Jones argue his
bill that the house, az first apparently
somewhat unsympathetic, was soon
strongly on his side; and in the end
the bill was recommitted so that it
could be strengthened with an amend.
ment prohibiting the sale of danger
Gus weapons, especially "six-shooters,"
in Oklahoma. Floor Leader w. B..
Anthony, of Stephens, was the au-
thor of the motion to recommit.
Clark, OF Atoka, began the argu-
ment over the bill with a motion to
amend so that the punishment would
be not less than $50 only. Ashby, Of
Pushmataha, seconded the amend
ment with a speech. He told of the
old days in Texas when every man
carried a gun and when everybody
behaved because if he didn't some
body shot him" A law making it a
felony to carry a concealed weapon
had passed in Texas, he said. The
punishment had proven too drastic
and the law was not obersved.
Don't make the punishment too
great for the crime" he argued.
When the author of the bill asked
him question Mr.. Ashby retorted:
More people are killed here now
by automobiles than We killed in Tex
as with pistols"
Mr.. Jones admitted that automobiles
need regulation, also, and said that he
] .ho1
need, but in the meantime concealed
weapons We're the object of attack
I'VE need something to stop this
wholesale numbering in Oklahoma"
he said.
Mr.. Champion of Ardmore, opposed
the bill, saying it is too drastic.
"You only encourage crime by max
ing its punishment unreasonable, I"
he argued.
Mr.. Rexroat, also from Carter coun-
ty, differed from his colleague, Mr.
| Champion.
'I am Kentuckian," he said, "and
| have lodged under the house many
time when a boy, on court day in
our town. The six-shooter is largely
to blame for the murders that dis
grace sections of Kentucky. Abolish
it and you check the majority of
killings"
Mr.. Barrett of Pottawatomie, spoke
for the bill, and broached the idea
of not only providing a heavy punish
ment for carrying concealed weapons,
but of prohibiting the sale OF fire
arms.
"To get at the root Of the evil" he
said, I'VE ought to restrain the sale of
fire arms, and punish the officers who
fail to enforce the law against carry
ing concealed weapons.
1T is prima facie evidence for a
bootlegger to be caught with whisky
on him. It ought to be prima facie
evidence that where a man has a
gun on him he means murder"
Mr.. Cornell supported the present
statutes and spoke against the bill;
Mr.. Woodson defended the bill
Mr.. Anthony moved that the bill
be recommitted to be considered with
house bill No. 276, penalizing the sale
of firearms; Mr. Jones agreed with
Mr. Anthony, and the house sent the
bill back to committee, not to make
ii weaker, but TO double its strength |
and effectiveness with statute abol- |
ishing, or severely regulating the
sale of weapons, especially six-shoot-
ers in Oklahoma.
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