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

ting things by theft and craft Ia
10 well acquainted in the under.
world. HI will get q gun undo,
gun prohibition, just as easily s.
he gets liquor under prohibition
The law abiding citizen will be dis.
armed BY such legislation, but not
the professional gunman.
Take. for example, they sav 4.
group Of 100 citizens. Perhaps So
or more OF these never thought Of
owning gun. Perhaps about 10
of them have purchased guns which
they keep in bureau drawers for
personal protection. Many a burg.
lar and hfghwayman has been foil
ed by an armed citizen. The keen
ing OF arms in the house for self
protection is q recognized and valu-
able aid in the suppression of crime.
II there were q loaded revolver in
every bedroom in the country, with
a person who had been properly
trained in the use of it, burglary
would be greatly discouraged
In this 100 men there are PERTAINS
10 who own revolvers as means Of
recreation. They are members Of
target-shoOting clubs which en-
Courage civilian practice with
small arms, or they are men who
make camping trips in wild coun-
try and carry side arms with them.
How It Would Worn
Not more than three, probably.
Of this 10 men are criminals. Now
the effect Of a law like the Shields
bill. say its opponents, is 10 dis
arm this entire 100 men in the hope
Of disarming the three criminal
members. The 80 who would other
wise buy revolvers for self-desensei
will be discouraged from doing So.
by the expense and risk Of prosecu-l
ton. Then men who use their
weapons as means Of recreation,
and who are valuable for their skill
in case Ct war, will be more reluct-i
ant to give up, but they too are.
law-abiCing men and do not like
to follow q hobby which involvest
contempt Of law.
The only men Of the hundred who.
will completely and gladly disre-
gard the law are the three GRIM,
inals. They habitually disregard
law, anyway. They are experts in,
breaking 1t. Their lives depend
upon the ownership of guns. 1t is
almost certain that they will sue
coed in obtaining them. And they
will be the holder in the use Of them
by reason of knowing that their
intended victims have been dis
armed.
These men argue that the way to
prevent the abuse Of any privilege
of right is not to take it away
from everybody, but to take it away
from the man who abuses it-not
to deprive the 81 law abiding citi-
zens of their rights. but to make
1t hot for the three crooks.
This is not being done. they say.
Our police systems have come in
for so much criticism lately that
it is hardly necessary to repeat
any Of it. Unsolved murder and
theft mysteries are the order Of
the day. Our criminal law is a
notorious farce. The statement is
made by high authorities that a
man is seldom convicted OF murder
in this country if he has plenty Of
money Or a political pull. The way
to stop murder is to catch and pun
ish the murderers, and the way to
disarm criminals is to catch them
and take their arms away from
them. argue these opponents Of the
prohibitory principle.
If there is to be any federal
legislation bearing on the crime
wave. these men say, it should have
for its purpose the creation Of a
federal police bureau. This is bad
ly needed to act as clearing
house FOR information about Grim
inals, to raise the standards Of po-
lice work in America and to study
European police methods with a
view to introducing them in this
country.