The Cordova daily times., 1921-04-02
GUN TOTERS TO HAVECURB PUT
 ON ACTIVITIES
BY COL. WINFIELD JONES

FSCenl SHOOIluS LII lOlllel oendlOi Henderson, of Nevada, in the senate office building, served to focus the attention of representatives and sen, ators on the gun carrying habit, which is probably as widespread in the national capital as in any city in the country. In fact at intervals here there are outbreaks of crime which rival the worst ever expert enced in the New York tenderloin or the bowery, or in the Chicago or Phil adelphia slum districts.
 Gun toters" flourish right in the shadow of the capital and for some years hardly a day has passed in Washington without a shooting af- fray of more or less seriousness. The race riots which disgraced Washing ton several years ago were traced by the police to the unrestricted sale of firearms For a long time the Washington newspapers and the po- lice have agitated for a stringent 
 severe penalties for carrying con- cealed weapons, particularly pistols.
 But it is not only in the national capital that the modern deSperado and gunman flourishes. He is ia miIiar to every city, though the Sul- livan law in New York state has f~ 0tf hD H man from carrying weapon.
 Human life is cheap in the United States It is much cheaper than in any other civilized nation. This is largely caused by the ability to secure firearms, according to the crime experts Thousands of men, women and children are shot and killed each year in this country, while the records show that few of criminals pay the full penalty.
 Students of crime give two req sons for this appalling condition. The first is the laxity of the enforcement of the laws against crime and partic-
 
 often maudlin sentiment is al lowed to sway juries, and the well known interminable delays in court eases is also a factor in taking away the fear of the law and it's penalties from the prospective criminal. The second is the ease with which fire Ln DINf it, rt ing store or pawnshop in nearly every city in the country, except m the cities of New York state.
 Senator Shields, of Tennessee, six years ago introduced a bill prohibit ing the sale of any weapon that could be used i'll committing homi- eide. Similar measures have been in troduced in every congress since the Shields bill was sent to the senate Judiciary committee where it has since been buried in a pigeonhole.
 Senator Shields is going to try again. He will introduce a new bill iO the special session of congress, and with public sentiment aroused in congress over the shooting of former Senator Henderson 1t is not unlikely that the Tennessee senator will be able to get action on his bill before the expiration of the next congress.
 All the opposition to any bill to- curb the sale of pistols and other firearms that can be used in murder cue assaults comes from the manu- facturers of firearms. according to Senator Shields. Shields declares that the fiearmS makers are in direct Iy responsible for nearly all the homicides committed in this country To ban the sale of pistols would at once. take away very lucrative trade of the manufacturers. They were able to smother the old Shields bill in the senate judiciary committee and will fight tooth and nail the new bill when II comes up in the next con- gross.
 The new Shields bill will try to curb the traffic in the deadly pistol | and similar weapons by forbidding transportation in interstate com merce. A stiff law of this kind would at once effectualIy kill all sale l of such weapons. No concern under such law would be able to ship weapons from the place of manufac- iurer to dealers and stores anywhere. | A clause in the bill would exempt pistols and other firearms destined for use in the army or navy and other government employees.
 A census report secured today by your correspondent shows that in the United States in 1918 there were more than 1900 homicides, nearly all the victims being slain with the pistol or revolver. These homicides