The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1924-12-04

(under sixteen years of age) any dan
gerous weapon or firearm, EXCEPT in
cases where the parents, guardians,
teachers, or instructors of children
may furnish them with such weapons
for hunting or target shooting outside
the thickly settled portion of any
town or city, or where such weapons
may be used in any licensed shooting
gallery.
RESIDENT CHILDREN UNDER SIX
! TEEN YEARS OF AGE MUST
FILE WRITTEN CONSENT
OF PARENTS OR GUAR
DIAN WITH APPLI-
CATION
Part of Section 3
|, Chapter 173, P. L. 1919, as amended
Chapter 121, p l.. 1923. No such
certificate PRESIDENT hunter's) shall be
granted to any person under 16 years
of age unless the written consent of
parents or guardian is attached to the
application for such certificate
From reading the above laws it
will be seen that the Inland Fish and
Game Department is given jurisdiction
only under Chapter 173. The only
provision for revocation of a license
under this law is that the commission
er may revoke a hunters or fisher
mans registration certificate when a
holder of such certificate violates any
of the game laws. This law further
provides, that no new certificate shall
be issued for period of at least
! six months thereafter to such person.
If a boy simply figures in an accident
al shooting while not hunting, the
Department of Inland Fisheries and
Game has absolutely no jurisdiction
in the premises.
What is recommended to improve
conditions?' asked the press repre-
sentative.
"Many suggestions have been re-
ceived for amendments to the law, the
most feasible of which appear to be
the following
Amend the air rife law so that
such firearms as are found in posses
sion of children under fourteen years
of age may be confiscated by game
wardens. Under the present law the
only penalty is not less than f@e nor
more than twenty dollars. imposed
against the party giving away or sell
ing an air rife to such children. Some
correspondents have recommended
tlldi LILO ptudlLy Dt dlSO.
Another recommendation is that
no child under fourteen or sixteen
years of age be permitted to have fire.
arms in possession, except when ac-
companied by parent or guardian, or
adult representative thereof.
lie Other correspondents feel that the
Commissioner of, Inland Fisheries and
Game should be given more authority
under Chapter 173, that the revocation
| clause, of this law should be amended
so that the Commissioner would have
authority to revoke boys license if
he figures in shooting accident Of
any kind.
"One recent correspondent express
ed her views as follows:
1.-The situation is certainly serious
1t seems as il parents and guardians
exercise almost no supervision over
the recreational activities of mem
bers of their family or children under
their care.
parents and guardians who have
firearms in their possession. especial
ly if loaded, should use special care
to see that they are placed beyond
reach of the younger members Of
their family. If due care had been
exercised in such instances several of
the above reported, accidents would
not have occurred this year.
"'Children are not only far too fire.
quently permitted to play alone in
the streets, at the risk of being ser
iously injured or killed by careless
or irresponsible motorists, but far
too many young boys are permitted
to go around with guns of large and
small calibre without being in charge
of an older person. 1'es Something
should be done to arouse parents or
guardians to a sense of responsibility
in these matters and | hope the press
of the state will take UP the subject
so that at the coming session of he
legislature, adequate amendments to
the law will be enacted for the pro
lection of the children OF the state, as
we'll as adults from the careless use
of firearms in the hands of children.
IAN incident which was once re-
ported was case where ono Of our
wardens while engaged in game in
spection duty on a busy business
street of a prominent city of Maine,
spied three youngsters with rifles.
Upon interviewing them to see If they
were equipped with licensc-he found
they were all right-bnt found that all
the guns were still loaded. The boys
had been out in the country, short
distance from the city on hunting
trip, and had returned to town and
had come down on the busy business
street congested with traffic, with
those guns fully loaded. The warden
promptly ordered them to unload the
guns and admonished them against
ever appearing on the street of any
city or village with a loaded tirearm.
This was a good lesson to these
boys, for the warden reports that he
has met them many times since, but
never has he found them outside the
forests with a loaded gun. In this
particular case it appears that the
boys had not been properly instructed
by their parents or guardians as to
the proper handling OF firearms. Had
an accident occurred, the parents or
guardians would have been morally
responsible, as the boys were too
20.