The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1912-05-17
PISTOL ASSOCIATION
ASK FOR LAWS
Crack Shots of U. S. r. A. Urge War
Against the "eun-Toting"
Criminals.

spread a uniform( stringent, safe and
sane revolver law throughout the
country was made here yesterday
when the United States Revolver AS
sociation sent out more than seven
hundred letters urging the governors
and the legislators of forty-seyen
states and the mayors of one hundred
and thirty-hve cities to join the move
ment.
The letters. signed by Secreary-
Treasurer j. b. Crabtree, introduced
the United States Revolver Associa-
tion as the chartered governing body
of amateur pistol and revolver shooters
which has charge of all international
revolver matches and which is now
engaged in selecting q team to repre-
sent this country at the Olympic
Games at Stockholm this coming sum
mer. The letter continues, in part:
This association is not interested
financially, directly or indirectly, in
the manufacture of firearms or am
munition
We are promoting a nationwide
movement for rational revolver law.
Our country depends upon its citizen
soldiers. Once We were a nation of
marksmen; such is not the case to-
day. This was proven at the time of
the Spanish-American War, when ma
tional guard regiments called into sery-
ice showed more than 70 per cent of
their number had never even fired
rifle. A reasonable knowledge of fire.
arms is an obvious necessity for our
male citizens of military age.
! Another reason why we wish a
bullet-proof, safe and sane law is that
New York has experienced an epi-
demic of crimes since the passage of
the Sullivan law,
ITO just the extent it is made diff |
cult for law-abiding citizens to possess
weapons of defense are they rendered |
easier victims and more attractive |
prey for the criminal. No law that
fails to recognize this principle can
possibly be a good law. Were it pos
sible to compel every law-abiding citi- |
zen to arm himself and to learn to |
shoot straight, and were it possible at i
the same time to disarm every burg
lar. thug and crook, crimes of violence
would be unheard of.
This association urges the passage
of law that will arm the law-abiding
citizen and punish the criminal. We
would welcome a law drafted on the
following lines;
4. That any citizen may purchase
a firearm or any other legitimate wea-
pom of defense the sole restriction be
ing that he enter his name and address
in dealers frearm register which |
shall be open to police Inspection
-. That any citizen may procure !
from the mayor chief-of-police or any
magistrate a license to carry a firearm
provided he can show cause why he
should 90 armed.
That license or no license, no
man ever convicted OF burglary or any
crime Of violence may carry a fire.
srm or other concealed weapon under
penalty OF FIVE years Imprisonment:
this sentence to be made mandatory
on the part Of the courts under a suit
able penalty.
"A. That the act Of carrying fire
arms or other weapons while commit !
ting or attempting TO commit crime
Of violence be regarded as felony
punishable by not less than ten years
Imprisonment; this sentence to be
made mandatory on the part Of the
courts under a suitable penalty
Two and one-half per cent Of the
homicides attributable to the pistol
are committed by ordinarily respect
able citizens impelled 10 commit this
crime Against this two and one-half
per cent. twenty-five per cent OF the
murders are committed by professional
criminals in connection with the rob-
berry Of law.abiding citizens. Can
there be any question whether it is
the law-abiding citizen or the criminal
that needs to be disarmed? You can,
not prevent the criminal from obtain
ing his jimmy, his dark lanterns. his
drills, his nitro-glycerine and his gun
Bitter experience has shown that laws
intended to prevent crimes of violence
by lettering the respectable as well
as the criminal element from aequir-
ing firearms are readily circumvented
by the criminal, who finds the law pro-
viding him with easy victims.
The law-abiding citizen needs no
disarming. The weapons Of defense
in his home are the greatest adjunct
for the prevention of crime to his po-
lice department. Any law deterring
him from arming for the protection of
himself and his family is little short