The New York herald., 1922-05-10
OF LAW join
TODISARM OUTLAWS
City and County Committee
Will Try to Limit Gun
Sales in Jersey.
EASY PERMITS FOUGHT
Justice StrOng's Signature
Found OH Paper Carried
by Massenia.
MORE MOTORS REQUESTED
Enright Believes Men Will BE
More Valuable in Small Cars
and Motorcycles.

Exercised over the ease with which
professional gunmen and bandits OBJ
tain pistol permits from out of town
Judges and guns from easy going New
Jersey, officials responsible for the
suppression of crime in New York
Kings and Bronx counties met with
Mayor Hylan yesterday to see what
could be done about it.
Daily gunf1ghts in the New York
streets frequently are more danger
Gus to the chance bystanders and law
abiding citizens than to the criminals
the bootleggers' battle at Grand and
Mulberry streets late on Monday, in
which six persons were shot, being an
instance of this kind
The Mayor and the three District
Attorneys. with local Judges and po-
lice officials. hope to close up the
Jersey arsenal and induce upstate
and Long Island Judges to be more
careful, and to clear the streets, IL it
can be done. of pistol carriers who
have police records.
Police Commissioner Enright took
another unusual step toward checking
the crime wave in asking the Board
of Aldermen for 100000 for additional
motorcycles and small runabouts for
policemen. 1t is likely that the Alder
men will give him the money.
Mayor VIII Meet Jersey Omcials.
At the Mayors conference with the
District Attorneys. Mr.. Hylan appointed
committee OF five to study the unlaw-
full gun toting situation-District Attor-
ney Banton of New York. District At
torney Ruston Of Kings. Police Commits
soner Enright. Chief Magistrate Nc.
Adoo and Corporation Counsel O'Brien.
They will try to regulate more strictly
the sale Of firearms by pawnbrokers and
may ask for legislation to prevent nom
resident Judges from issuing pistol per-
mts to criminals. BY invitation of
Mayor Hylan, County Prosecutors Of
to see what can be done to discourage
or forbid the sales Of firearms there by
an act like the Sullivan law.
The Jersey situation Is notorious. for
firearms are sold in Jersey City. Hobo
ken and other nearby cities to all COM
ers. IL is even easier to buy a revolver
than II is to buy drink. Most of the
pistols bought in New Jersey are cheap
as It Is not necessary for a criminal
who prefers to wound or kill point blank
TO buy an expensive gun.
Tx-ov afy hxy Ia nd
order societies to get through their Leg
islature a bill requiring pistol buyers to
present permits from municipal authori-
ties seems to have been shelved mysteri-
ously. Mrs Katherine w. Brown, Dem
ocratic member of the General Assembly
from Jersey City. charges openly that a
powerful lobby continually opposes bills
that would end or curb the evil.
Gunman Had strong Permit.
Hardly less intolerable to the New
York authorities Is the apparent nom
chalance with which out OF town Judges
fortify outlaws with pistol permits Jo-
seph Masseria. one of the two men
caught after the bootleg battle in Null
berry street. produced a permit signed
by Justice Selah B. Strong OF the Su-
preme Court
This permit was signed on January
23. 1922 and for at least nine yeNs
previous to obtaining 1t Masseria had a
police record. He had served four years
for burglary and had twice received
suspended sentences for burglary and at
tempted extortion. Yet this ex-convict
carried about permit indorsed "unlim-
tied permit" according to the police.
Justice Strong. now sitting in Part III.
of the Trial Term Of the Supreme Court.
Brooklyn. Is to be the subject OF leg
islative investigation. committee al
ready having been appointed TO hear
charges Justice Strong declined to
comment on the Masseria permit with
out information to refresh his memory.
The Mayor wants the permit privilege
OF responsibility in the hands of the
Police Commissioner alone. and he
spoke OF this to those who conferred
with hlm--District Attorneys Banton.
Ruston and Glennon OF Bronx county
Commissioner Enright Chief Inspector
Lahey. Magistrate McAdoo. Chief JUS
tice. Kernochan. George p. Nicholson.
First Assistant Corporation Counsel
O'Brien. Inspector John d. Coughlin.
head OF the Detective Division: Dr.
Royal s. Copeland. Health Commits
sioner: Murray Hubert. president OF
the Board OF Aldermen and Alderman
William T. Collins.
Tne American BHT RSSOClallOn, as tue
result of a general Investigation into
crime. indicted gun carrying as one
OF the main causes and will recommend
at its annual meeting in San Francisco
In August that punishment for crime
be made more severe when the criminal
Is found armed.
Commissioner Enrlght Is seeking more
motorcycles and flivvers because he be-
lieves n mobile policeman can do the
work OF several more or less station
ary men. Motorcycle men can outspeed
motor cars. which is important nova
days, and they have captured fusltves
fleeing on foot In many cases.
Noiseless motorcycles ar likely to
be assets or such patrol duty within a
FEW weeks The reported perfection Of
a muffler which makes the operation
OF the hitherto explosive motorcycle al
most as silent az a bicycle may have
Induced the Commissioner to make his
new request to the Aldermen. The plan
s TO put on about 800 Of these machines
and man them with patrolmen hitherto
serving afoot The estimate is that this
would give the service OF 900 foot
policemen.
By his request TO the Aldermen. Mr..
Enright indicated that he believes IN
the practicabiity OF the motor car
patrol system II was this expedient
that the Rev. Dr. Charles H. Park
hurst referred to recently when he
spoke OF frantic celebration of in
competency that would have made
Thomas F. Byrnes laugh"