The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-05-06


measure which would make II din
cult for any citizen of the United
States to obtain a revolver or pis-
toll without breaking the law is
now proposed by Senator Shields Of
Tennessee as a remedy for the
crime wave.
1t is agreed by all that some
thing must be done. The country
is overrun with armed thugs who
shoot down a few hundred citizens
every day, take their cash and Jew
elry, and escape in four-thOusand-
dollar cars which they have stolen
from other citizens without much
trouble.
Senator Shields believes that the
way to remedy this situation is to
make it as difficult as possible for
anyone to obtain a revolver, pistol
or other firearm small enough to
be concealed about the person. and
he has introduced a bill which is
to accomplish this by barring such
arms from interstate commerce.
The stated purpose OF the bill IS
to suppress the sale OF pistols.
rev0lyers," etc.,-that is, to make
it as difficult as possible for any
one, criminal or otherwise-to OBJ
tain such an arm.
This bill has provoked sharp dis
cussion. Many legislators favor 1t.
On the other hand, students of the
crime problem say that it will he
wholly ineffective. Some critics
of the measure say that 1t Is typic-
al of whole school of legislation
in this country, designed to sup
press vice and crime. and which
has the opposite effect.
Senator Shields says that his
measure is modelled after the pro-
hibition law. Prohibition, he says,
was ineffective as a state or local
measure as long as liquor could
be manufactured in neighboring
states and shipped into dry terri
tory. In like manner, he says. the
efforts of police to control the sale
of firearms in a given city are futile
as long as any criminal can send
away and get a revolver by mail
or express.
His opponents say that his whole
theory is unsound. They agree
with him that his law is exactly
the same type as the prohibition
law and they assert that, while pro-
hibition has reduced the consump-
ton OF alcohol, which may be a
good thiLg, it has not prevented
any man who really wants alcohol
from getting it. He can get it
from bOotleggers. Furthermore,
here in Washington, one of the
most orderly of cities, he can buy
a slightly indicated port wine con-
tanning Is per cent of alcohol at
many small stores, and he can buy
all the materials for making home
brew at several places. together
with all directions for the making.
The effect of this law, they con-
tend, has been to restrict the con-
sumption by making it inconveni-
cnt to obtain alcoholic beverages,
but it has not made it impossible
for the man with an abnormal alco-
holic thirst to satisfy 1t.
Will Not Affect Criminals.
In like manner. they say, the
gun-prohibition law will greatly
reduce the number of persons own
ing weapons by making it diff
cult to obtain them, but it will new
er prevent the man who really
needs one from getting it. There
will inevitably be bootlegging in
guns just as there is now boot
Logging in whisky. A whole new
class of criminals who engage in
this traffic will be created. just as
liquor prohibition has created a
class of criminals. And the tax
payer will be saddled with another
burden o. expense in the effort &c
enforce this law 1t will disarm
the peaceable citizen, but it will
never prevent the criminal, wLc
needs the gun in his business, from
getting one. He is used to get.