Evening star., 1925-08-23
NEED DRASTIC LAW
ON PISTOL SALES.
uffICialS Find Reasons for
Change in Police Record
OF Violent Deaths.

oI the Police Department are two sets
OF Pgures which show the vital need
Tor more drastic legislation In sup
pressing the sale of deadly weapons
in the District.
These figures show that during the
dscal year just closed 81 men came
10 their deaths by pistol wounds in
Gicted by other persons. The same
number were suicides. using pistols TO
end their lives. There were three ac-
cidental deaths caused by pistols.
Statistics of the Police Department
show that 3G5 arrests were made dur
ing the year for carrying pistols or
Tor using them for assaults. That is
an average of one d day. There were
all told 2S3 arrests for assaults with
dangerous weapons-including 124
pistol assaults. For carrying con-
tcealed weapons 341 We're arrested, of
which number PAL had revolvers on
their persons.
Recognize Need
A canvass of prominent local at
torlleyS, Jurists and police executives
curing the last week showed that
there is universal recognition of the
need of amending the present law
WIN regard to sales of dangerous
weapons.
To-day Il youth of q may walk into
q shop and purchase "a revolver to
WredK vengeance on some object of
MS anlmosity and the only thing done
about it is for the seller to take his
Same-which may be faked--and send
record of the sale to the chief of
police. Virtually the only limitation
placed on the sale of weapons under
the present law is a prohibition
esatnst essro t,d sell to people under p
The lawyers questioned referred
Sfo New Gork's Sullivan law, which
ma kes it felony to be discovered
with a pistol in ones possession, un-
less a lawful authorization for it can
be displayed.
The Sullivan law has teeth. Any
or the underworld denizens know this.
Get rid of the gat"' is the first cry
When danger looms on the horizon in
the metropolis. The crooks NAV not
rear a trial for attempted hold-up, but
II pistol is found on their persons
they Know that a good stay for years
at SING Sing will be the outcome
Judge Schuldt of Police Court has a
good plan for legislation regarding
SAFE OF dangerous weapons which he
expects TO receive attention from the
incoming Congress. 1t is as simple as
IL is drastic. Briefly it is as follows:
get several days elapse after an ap-
pllcation is made for the purchase of
- N'ihS bctOIe the actual sale. 1hlS
Will allow time for hot heads to cool
off
Before the purchaser gets the re-
NoiVer. he must show the seller a
certificate from the chief OF police
which will o. K. the sale. Before
he gets the certificate from the chief
OF police he must produce references.
10 be filed by the Police Department,
showing not only the need of the per-
son for rPEnlVpr hut oil LII,
Ing as an upright and Trustworthy
citizen.
As soon as the revolver is sold the
vendor must notify the Police DEPART
ment, SO that an alibi to the effect
that the prisoner arrested for having
a revolver in his possession was only
taking 1t home from where il was
bought" will not hold water 10 days
after the sale.
Mail Order Buying.
If the sale of revolvers is sun-
pressed in the District of Columbia.
what is to be done regarding mail
order buying of pistols and revolvers?
Here also a remedy presents itself
in the opinion of local attorneys
Simply get a law prohibiting the pas
sage of revolvers in interstate com
merce from any State to the District
of Columbia.
Five outstanding pieces of legisIa-
ton were introduced during the last
Congress with view to regulating
or suppressing sales of revolyers in
the District of Columbia
The first of these bills was intro.
duced by Representative Clark of
Florida, and was based on the neces-
sity for any purchaser of a revolver
10 show certificates from the au-
thorities that he has never been ar
rested or convicted of any offenses
in the District and also to show
certificates from two good citizens of
the District regarding his good, law
abiding and peaceable character.
Another BILL introduced by Repre
sentative Byrns of Tennessee in the
House and Senator Shields in the
Senate, aimed at suppression of the
sale of firearms by forbidding them
TO be carried in interstate commerce
by common carriers to the District.
or by the mails.
The most comprehensive piece of
legislation, in the opinion of manv
attorneys, introduced in the last Con-
SresS was the Capper bill-which the
Ball bill greatly resembles-to con
troll not only the possession but also
the sale and use of pistols in the
District
This bill had teeth. For a first Of
3enSe any persons attempting to COM
init or committing a crime when
armed with a pistol, revolver or other
Adeadly weapon, having no permit for
Vthe same, could be punished by i'm
prfsonment for not more than five
years, in addition to the regular Nun
ishment for the crime committed or
attempted. 1t smacks of the Sullivan
act.
The second or third offenses would
carry respective double or triple pen
atlies in the discretion of the court
while a fourth offense had a mini
mum punishment of Is years. (The
present law carries the mild penalty
of $50 fine and year in Jail as the
maximum penalty.)
Another interesting section is the
fact that being armed. without a per
nit may be taken as prima facfe eyi-
uence OF intent to commit IA felony.
The ideas above outlined by Judc.
Schuldt are incorporated in this act
also, and conditions for licenses bv
dealers are made more stringent
4 In view of the figures showing the
Nlmber of homicides and arrests for
assaults and carrying deadly weap-
ons during the last year, it is be-
Heved in local legal circles. legislation
during the coming session of Con-
Eress VIII be pushed to the limit.
SPECIAL NOTICES.