The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1922-09-07
BAR ASSOCIATION
CONDEMNS PISTOL
SAYS 1T SERVES NO USEFUL
PURPOSE-MANUFACTURE
SHOULD BE PROHIBITED

Declaring that the pistol "serves no
useful purpose in the community to-
day., at San Francisco last week the
committee on law enforcement includ-
ed in its recommendations submitted
to the American Bar Association one
which would prohibit the manufacture
and sale of pistols, and of cartridges
or ammunition designed to be used
in them, "save as such manufacture
shall be necessary for governmental
and official use under proper legal
regulation and control"
"We find that more than ninety per
cent. of the crimes in this country
are committed by the use of pistols,
continued the report of the committee,
of which Judge William B. Swanep of
Chattanooga, Tenn, was chairman.
eve find that the laws prohibiting
the carrying of firearms or deadly
weapons are ineffective-in fact, that
they work to the benefit of the GRIM
inal rather than the law-abiding citi-
en-"
Other members of the committee
were Judge Marcus Kavanagh, Chi
cago; former Governor Charles S.
Whitman, New York; Wade S. Ellis,
Washington, D. c., and Charles W.
Farnham Of St. Paul.
"The criminal situation in the Unit
ed States, so far as crime Of violence
are concerned, is worse than that Of
any other CIVILIZED country" the re-
port said. "Here there is less respect
for law. From al available sources
of information We estimate that there
were more than $500 unlawful homi-
cides last year in this country; that
in 1920 there occurred not less than
5000 such homicides, and that in no
year during the last ten years did the
number fall below $500. In other
words, during the last. ten years no
less than $4,000 of our citizens have
perished by poisons, by the pistol or
the knife, or by some other unlawful
and deadly instrument.
"Burglaries have increased in this
country during the last ten years,
100 percent.
"D-.., .rate murder, nu' Z ply, rob-
berry I'll! sciC;or, be att.urted unless
the criminal /. arnG: L. European
c ..n ries the criminals 3, \ 'u,e are
not armed.
"On the other hand, in crimes which
indicate the dishonesty of the people
such as larceny, extortion, counter
feiting, forgery, fraud and other
crimes of swindling, comparison of
conditions demonstrates that the NOR
ais of this country are better than in
any other of the larger countries Of
the world.
"It is our united opinion that the
means provided in the United States
for coping with crimes and criminals
are today neither adequate nor eff
cient, for example:
"First, we find that the parole and
probation laws, as administered, very
generally fail to accomplish the pur-
poses for which the laws were desIg-
mated and weaken the administration
of criminal justice. We recommend
that first offender only should be elgi-
BILE for probation. We recommend
that the indeterminate sentence laws
should be modified so as to apply to
first offenders only, and we believe,
too, that neither probation nor parole
should be permitted those convicted OF
homicide, burglary, rape or highway
robbery.
"Second, we find that more than
ninety per cent Of the murders in
this country are committed by the
use of pistols.
"Third, we find the cause for delay
in criminal cases so varied and the
conditions so differing that we .hesi-
tate to make specific recommendations
Dilatory motions-and many other
causes for delay, all accrue to
the benefit of the law breaker.
We recommend that every state
be given every right to appeal now
enjoyed by a defendant-except from
a verdict of not guilty, and We rec
ommend that the prosecutor in a GRIM
inal trial shall have the right to call
the attention Of the jury to the fact
that the defendant has failed himself
to contradict or deny testimony offer
ed by the prosecution.
eve recommend that the State be
given the right to amend the Indict-