Evening star., 1922-10-18
Way Must Be Found to Stop Pts.
tol "Toting."


The efforts of the United States
Revolver Association to have the
states enact a law along lines similar
to the Capper bill, dealing with the
open sale and possession of firearms
generally meet approval throughout
the country. Editors point out that
the various crime waves and similar
occurrences are aided and abetted by
the promiscuous sale of deadly
weapons, which goes on unchecked
almost everywhere. Federal legisla-
ton, it is agreed. cannot reach the
subject and SO long as anybody can
get gun" the peril must continue.
There will be no debate" the Bos-
ton Herald says, "over the merit of
the general statement of the object
sought-'to make it possible for the
law abiding citizen to possess a
pistol or revolver for the protection
of life and property. and at the same
time provide penalties sufficiently Sc
we're to deter criminals from using
such weapons Action by the fed
eral government along the lines Of
the Capper bill will be excellent, the
St Louis Globe-Demoerat believes
objects hoped for without sensible.
effective and uniform legislation" by
the various states. because, as the st.
Joseph News-Press points out, some
thing ought to be done to minimize
the gun-toting habit. Amy remedy is
Barre Record suggests that weapons
for home safety and for other pur-
poses should be of size that makes
it impossible to conceal them upon
the person. The fact that 90 per
cent of homicides in this country are
volvers suggests the need of federal
regulation
If the states and the federal govern
ment enact a uniform law. then the
problem of shutting off the supply of
cheap weapons at the source would be
is convinced, because such legislation
is needed while the Santa Rosa
Press-Democrat, indorsing this view
point, believes that there would be
no crime waves if the gunmcn could
not get guns. The traffic in pistols
and the criminal population be prac-
tically disarmed in a year If the
matter were taken up with the Sc
riousness it deserves" The Saginaw
News-Courier, on it's part. points out
that at is not the orderly and law
gun toting. and even more interest
ing than the well known facts them
selves is that no effective move is
made to disarm the lawless; nor even
as much as serious obstacles created
to their obtaining firearm weapons"
free to kill any one who crosses his
whims has got to be dealt with in
the only way such people can un-
derstand." further explains the
Lowell Courier Citizen. land that is
by making the punishment follow as
swiftly on crime as possible. We
prohibit, or say we prohibit, liquor
selling as a matter Of public policy.
Meanwhile, we make the purchase of
deadly weapons as easy as the pur-
chase of a paper of pins. Is there
any wonder that the death penalty
hands, while it ceases to be generally
inflicted by the judicial processes?"
Still there is danger that the anti
alien clause. proposed in the Capper
legislation, may be unconstitutional"
the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot fears,
with the constitutional inhibition
against the impairment of the peo-
pies right to bear arms. To be effec-
tive a law Of this nature must be
enacted uniformly by all states."
Even SO. 1.-The limitation of arma-
ments, like charity. should begin at
home," the Fremont Tribune insists.
as "the promiscuous sale of the re-
volver is costing, in this country
alone, millions Of dollars annually
and thousands of lives. The small
arm is the father of crime. 1t is the
mainstay of the criminal. his back
bone. his confidence. Without 1t he
is a coward, ineffective, harmless to
society: with his finger twined around
the trigger of a revolver he Is a men,
ace to the world, a destroyer of life
and a defer Of all recognized law"
1.-The nation Is certainly and surely
coming to the point" says the Illi-
nois State Journal, when tho manu-
facture and sale of revolvers must be
made a special and exclusive func-
ton Of the federal government. Muir
der is frequent. because one or both
parties to an argument carry guns.
The revolver is the devils own in
strument for making crime and
criminals" In this connection the
Ann Arbor Times News adds that
many persons are convinced that
the need for firearms has passed, with
the exception of police officers, per-
sons handling large sums of money,
or members of the Army and Navy.
Making such a law legal through
changing the Constitution would less
en- the number Of crimes committed
according to those favoring the law;
That our civilization has progressed
so far that the carrying of firearms
sary goes without saying. II such
q law could make murders more difh-
cult it might be worth trying.
. 0fl.A HnafflA Hs5v,s a n fn diaeuRHfnac the