The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-12-12
sTRAUB HAS sIDE-sTEPPED

Telegram are urging that parents
teach their kids the use of firearms
so that there will be fewer fatal FAC
cidents" from them. Good idea. Spleen
did. And lest there be some mixup
among the parents themselves as to
just how this invaluable education
should be impaired we hasten to ex-
plain how our own mother did it-and
we are confident her method is inn
possible of Improvement. There were
four of US boys up on the old Michi-
gan farm, and one time we were en-
PERTAINING a cousin from Chicago, and
this cousin was the proud and envied
possessor of fine pistol with beau
tiful and shining brass barrel. The
five of us together acted just like any
other five healthy boys and one day
during a little rumpus, one of our
brothers who had red hair announced
that as quick as he could get hold of
that pistol there would be something
doing. Our mother happened to be
within hearing; and she went to the
cousins room; got that pistol; came
out with it; and saying -"Boys, I'll
show you what to do with that pistol"
dropped it into the well, which was
a tubular well Sc feet deep. And one
result of that very practical lesson in
the use of firearms is that that broth
er and that cousin are both visiting US
here in the Sunshine City right now.
st. Petersburg Times.
Friend Straub has not seen, either
in the Star or the Telegram, anything
advocating turning over to hot
headed boy pistol for him to do as
he pleased with. The excellent mother
referred to acted as woman might
be expected to act. A firm and cool
headed father with little good advice
could have acted more effectually and
not aggrieved boy by taking away
from him something he priced and
would have made no bad use of if he
had been properly instructed.
If our friend Straub will search his
tory, he will find that from the time
of Cain until today, angry boys and
men have always found weapons to.
their hand when they were mad
enough to kill. A pocketlznife is
very useful thing; every boy wants
one and it is almost impossible for
man to get along without one, but we
have personal knowledge of several
murders and a great many minor cut
ting scrapes in which pocketknives
were the weapons. AS far as we are
concerned, we would rather take our
chances against gun or pistol any
day than against a knife. Does Friend
Straub argue that boys and men
shouldn't be allowed to have pocket
knives?
Whenever the time comes that we
are too just and kind to kill or MAIN
each other in anger, all the guns and
pistols in the world will make no diff
ference. Until that time, we will man
age to hurt each other sometimes, if
not with firearms, with knives or
clubs or brickbats or rocks.
In the last few days, the Star out
of curiosity, has interviewed num-
Der of our leading citizens as to how
old they were when they first began
to handle guns. Beginning with Cir
cult Court Judge w. S. Bullock, the
reporter interviewed County Judge
Smith, Sheriff Galloway, County Clerk
Nugent, ex-Sheriff Gordon, City Mar
shall Adams, ex-Clerk Sistrunk, Dep
1ty Sheriff Smith, City Clerk Sis
trunk, and number of other respon-
sible men who hold positions that
call for cool heads and steady hands.
All have learned to handle guns from
seven years old up to twelve, and not
one Of them ever had an accident
with a gun or shot at a man without
good reason.
The essence of the matter IS that
we have weapons, and have to have
weapons as long as other people have
them. And as long as we have to have
guns, pistols, autoes, dynamite and
uyInS mdCnlHOS, Tie DSSI SAFETY
against accident with them is to know
just exactly what to do with them.
The Times Union has summed the
matter up accurately and eencisely in
the following paragraph:
"The constitution provides that nc
American citizen shall be denied the
| right to bear arms. On the plea thai
some citizens were unfit, the right
was denied. when it was the theory Of
jefferson that every citizen should bc
encouraged to keep the best weapon
within reach. Certainly the American
unfit to carry arms is unfit to be {
citizen"