The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1921-04-02
WHEN NOBODY NEEDS 1T

The Times Union has had another I
OF its spasms over the awful sin of \
iaw-abiding citizens possessing pis-
tolls, and with extreme satisfaction
quotes the following from the ST. Au-
gustine Record:
The very best plan is to eliminate |
the need of carrying protective weap-
ons by keeping weapons away from
everybody except duly authorized Off
GERS of the law. And can there be anv
sound objection to that? Or any other
effective solution? When nobody has
revolver any more. nobody will need
a revolver"
The Times-Union writer says this
argument is unanswerable, so we will,
ask him few questions. which wa
trust him to answer honestly, if ba
answers at all.
II ne woke up at midnight. and
FOUND IN his house a burglar a r..
larger than himself and armed MEL :
hhiIe or blackjack, could he consc;an
.ioosly say to himself, "When nobod,,
mas revolver, nobody will need 20
volver?" d re-
II ne was walking along a lone,,
loao and met bunch of touehs all
oigger than himself, and they tried -
ROB him, opening the operation -,
glVing him a beating, wouldn't he he
sorry ne did not have revolver or
automatic with which to stand them
off? 'eii
IL ne was, peacefully walking thru
the woods with no weapon except a
Ignt stick, and a neighbours watch
dog, a big beast with long. sbarn
teeth, mistook him for an enemy and
attacked him, would not he be sorry
ne hadn't pistol. so he could cripple
the dog before it reached him, instead
of being worried and mangled or may
be killed before help could arrive?
If his home was some distance from
his nearest neighbor. if he had to go
away sometimes and leave his wife
, and children alone, wouldn't he be
glad if his wife had a good, double
action .38 instead of being defense
less?
The pistol is good friend in tight
place, and like other good friends
doesn't advertise itself. Every time
a rufian misuses the weapon, the fact
{ is loudly proclaimed. But the world
does not stop to think that many a
{ rufian or thief or rapist let's an hon.
est man or his home alone simply be-
cause for all he knows an Equalizer"
e may be tucked away in a pocket or a
: bureau drawer, ready to leap to its
owners defense. The moral effect OF
the pistol has prevented more trou-
,,ble than it has caused.
I There never was so much fighting
and assassination in Europe as during
the three or four centuries before the
pistol was invented. Every man car.
r ried a sword or knife and was fan
h more ready to use it than the average
e man of today is to use pistol; anC
: the proportion of deaths was greater
n from cold steel than it later became
n from gunpowder.
: The Times-Union again tries to mis-
n lead its readers by saying that the
English police don't carry pistols
Under ordinary circumstances they de
9 not carry them because they do not
need them. But they always have
special police who carry firearms
: when they go into dangerous places
: land moreover for a riot which thu
). police of one of our big cities would
y quell without military help. they cal
out troops. There are few parts o.
England more than two hours journe!
from a place where soldiers are quar-
tered.
For our part, we have always be
lieved that killing or wounding PEG
pie is more the result of an elemen
of human nature than the possession
of any weapon, and We are certain
that comparison of statistics ant
: study of history will bear out on
= theory.
u Back of this is a great principle
: which it is the height of folly to dis
regard. The people should not be dis
. armed. In Europe, for some year
before the war broke out, the commo
xx,a~a not allayuod m have an